


Unable to perceive the shape of you

by Wolveria



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Connor is a dolphin boy, F/M, Fluff, Incest, MerMay, Merman Connor, Merman Nines, Nines is an orca, Non-Human Genitalia, Polyamory, Reader is the filling of the Connor/Nines sandwich, Smut, Threesome - F/M/M, Vaginal Sex, human reader, i did too much worldbuilding just for porn, mermaid au, mermaids are called Ceta sapiens, technically, with lots of merdicks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:13:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24484891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolveria/pseuds/Wolveria
Summary: After breaking the RK twins out of the MarineLife facility, you were determined to return them to the ocean before getting caught by your employer.What you hadn't counted on were the brothers deciding you belonged to them.
Relationships: Connor (Detroit: Become Human)/Original Female Character(s), Connor (Detroit: Become Human)/Reader, Connor/Upgraded Connor | RK900/Original Female Character(s), Connor/Upgraded Connor | RK900/Reader, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Original Female Character(s), Upgraded Connor | RK900/Reader
Comments: 315
Kudos: 1048





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had to contribute to MerMay even if it was at the literal 11th hour. More chapters incoming but I wanted to get this out there before it turned to June. RIP all my other wips that were put on hold for this shameless Shape of Water/Splash AU.
> 
> No chapter warnings for the first scene. The sexy times will arrive later.

The lab was empty and the only noise that filled the space was the gentle sound of lapping water. After a quick glance to make sure the techs had left for the day, you sat at the edge of the tank and pulled off your shoes and socks, dipping your toes into the chilly water. A sigh escaped you, the cold a balm against your aching feet, and the pain in your legs receded to a manageable level.

As if on cue, two fins broke the surface of the water, one stout and grey while the other was dark, elegant, but curled over as if it had lost its rigidness. They headed in your direction, causing ripples from the speed of their passing. Just as the disturbances reached you, they broke the surface, revealing twin faces with very different expressions.

The one with the grey dorsal fin chirped in greeting, brown eyes wide as he rubbed the side of his face against your shin like a cat. You smiled, just as you did every time Connor greeted you that way, and reached down to run your hand through his slicked brown hair. And like every other time, his eyes became half-lidded and a soft rumble came from his chest.

The other _Ceta sapien_ with the dark, limp dorsal fin, his twin brother, kept at a tentative distance. Icy grey eyes, the color of stone in the dim light, watched with an unreadable expression. That was to be expected from Nines, but you knew him long enough to know that he was pleased to see you.

“Sorry I’m late,” you said as you rolled up your pant leg, attempting to keep it dry and away from Connor’s affectionate rubbing. “Had a lot of work to finish up.”

Your smile faded as you took in the sight of the contraption around his head; a metal cage that acted as a muzzle, forced onto him earlier that day by the technicians. Nines must have done something to piss them off again.

“I hope you didn’t bite anyone this time,” you said gently, fishing a ring of keys out of your pocket. “Not that they don’t deserve it. I just don’t want them to put you in isolation again.”

You held out your hand to show him the keys. “Come here, I’ll take it off.”

You’d probably get in trouble for it, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care. The only reason you were still at this shitty job was because of the RK twins. Everyone else treated them like curiosities at best, lab rats at worst. You were genuinely afraid what would happen to them if you left.

Connor rested his chin on your bare knee as he watched his brother cautiously swim toward you. His face normally didn’t have a huge range of expression, but you could have sworn the area around his eyes was tight with fear. That wasn’t like him at all.

Making sure your movements were slow and unthreatening, you reached down to the small padlock keeping the strap in place. The techs had put it there because Nines had figured out how to undo the straps and remove the muzzle himself, leaving it at the bottom of the massive tank so the divers would have to get it. Probably on purpose, knowing him.

Your fingers were careful as you removed the lock and pulled open the straps, lifting the cruel device from around his face.

“There,” you said, tossing the muzzle away, glad to be rid of it. “That’s better, isn’t it?”

Nines remained silent as he usually did, nowhere near as vocal as his brother, but he brushed the edge of one broad shoulder against your calf, leaving you warm with surprise as he retreated a safe distance. You could count on one hand the times he’d made physical contact, and as far as you knew, you were the only person he’d ever touched willingly.

Connor, on the other hand, was an insatiable cuddle-bug, and even now he was nudging his nose against your leg, and then actually licked it, making you jump.

“You’re especially clingy today.” You ran your fingers through his hair, eliciting another happy thrill. “Is it because of what they did to Nines?”

The smaller ceta was normally much more friendly with humans, but when they handled Nines roughly, he could become a vicious storm of teeth and claws. The techs never worked on them both at the same time for that reason, separating them into different pools and causing them both more stress than necessary.

You hated it. Hated everything about this place, from the rough techs to the cruel doctors. Dr. Stern made your blood run cold, but Dr. Kamski made the flesh on the back of your neck prickle. You hated them both, and you were human. You couldn’t imagine what it was like for the twins.

“It’s okay,” you said, rubbing Connor’s cheek now and letting him lean into your palm. “You’re both okay now.”

A lie you had to tell but hated telling. More than you hated your heartless bosses who only saw the cetas as a source of grant money and academic prestige.

As if they could sense your mood, which you were half-convinced they could, Connor wrapped his fingers around your ankle and gently tugged. He was always gentle with your legs, especially on bad pain days. That’s just how Connor was, in tune with your moods in a way that was almost unsettling.

Even Nines swam closer, brows perked with interest as he hovered a couple feet away.

“I don’t know if I have time for that tonight, guys,” you said, shoulders hunched. “It’s late and I have to be in early tomorrow—“

Connor interrupted you with a pitiful noise very close to a whine and his brother frowned up at you, lips pursed into an expression that was almost, and hilariously, bitchy. Sometimes, you _really_ thought they understood what you were saying. You wished more than anything they could talk, but they couldn’t. They weren’t human, no matter how you wished otherwise.

Connor gave up on pulling you into the water, and instead propped his chin on your knee, staring up at you with big brown eyes that could put an actual puppy to shame.

“I _can’t,”_ you insisted, the sternness of your voice sabotaged by the smile creeping on your lips. “Not tonight.”

The larger ceta snorted through his nostrils and turned away. You thought he was going to ignore you and pout, but instead he dived beneath the surface and—

You yelped and covered your head with your hands as his large black and white tail slapped against the surface, covering you in an impressive wave of cold water.

“Oh, you _asshole!”_ you choked out as you wiped the water from your eyes. Connor was making a rapid-fire clicking noise that sounded suspiciously like laughter. You sent him a narrowed glare and his lips widened into a toothy grin.

“Don’t encourage him,” you said, pointing a figure at Connor. The smaller ceta simply tilted his head as if he had no idea what on earth you were talking about and he’d never done anything wrong in his life.

You really were spending too much time with them. It was a bad habit of yours, seeing things that couldn’t possibly be there. Little looks and gestures that seemed to mean something more, and you constantly had to remind yourself it was all wishful thinking and loneliness.

Huffing and rolling your eyes, you pulled your legs out of the water and rose to your feet. You needed to put a stop to this and start spending time with other people, even if you would rather be here than anywhere else in the world.

Connor made a small, pathetic chirp as he swam to the edge of the water. He grabbed the ledge and stared up at you, and you could have sworn there was sadness there. Even the armband around his right bicep, normally glowing blue, brightened to a bright yellow, reflecting his increase in heart rate and blood pressure.

_Goddammit._

“Okay. _Okay._ You two are gonna get me fired, you know that?” Your protested sounded weak to your own ears, but it was all worth it to see Connor’s ears perk up and his armband return to a soothing blue.

Even Nines had come back, waiting along the edge of the research pool with Connor, staring up at you expectantly. His armband had never changed from its blue color, but that was just how he was. Somehow, he’d learned how to keep his vital signs calm and cool, even when he was seconds away from trying to take off someone’s fingers.

The techs blamed faulty equipment even though they’d never found anything wrong with the armband. You knew better; Nines had learned the humans used the armbands as a gauge to predict their moods, and Nines had outsmarted them. And would continue to outsmart them, because you seemed to be the only person who realized what he was up to.

Sometimes, like right now, as he was leveling his unblinking, heavy gaze at you while you got undressed, made you wonder just _how_ smart he was. Even now, his grey eyes were too aware, and you had to turn away as you tugged off your clothing.

You wore a bathing suit underneath, a two-piece consisting of boy shorts and a halter top. It was convenient in that it acted like underwear under your clothing, and let you slip into the pool at the end of your shift to swim with the twin brothers.

The swimsuit also had the benefit of being kind of sexy. Not that you were trying to impress anyone. It was sad enough the brothers were the closest things you had to friends.

You sat down at the edge of the water and turned around, resting the ledge against your stomach so you could slip down into the water more easily.

A pair of arms grabbed you from behind immediately, pulling you down into the water.

You gave a startled yelp, sputtered as salt water entered your mouth, and spit it out with an annoyed growl. The arms didn’t let you go, and instead pull you back against a warm chest as he swam backwards along the surface of the water.

Usually Connor gave you a little more time to adjust before grabbing you and swimming around like a seal with its favorite toy.

Normally you tolerated it, but you couldn’t stay as long as you usually did, and you wanted to actually get some swimming done to try and ease the pain in your leg joints and soothe the rigid calf muscles.

“Okay, Connor, that’s enough.”

A frantic chirp came from the left from a few feet away. You opened your eyes, startled to find Connor following after you.

You tensed, heart hammering as your limbs went rigid, and the ceta carrying you along slowed to a stop. He didn’t release his hold and you looked down to see the arms were slightly bigger than they should have been.

_Oh, fuck,_ was your first thought.

_He’s going to eat me,_ was your second.

You took a breath and tried to hold your voice steady. “Nines. I need you to let me go.”

You remained firmly within his embrace. If anything, he slightly tightened his grip.

_He’s is definitely going to fucking eat me._

“Nines, let me go.”

The fear was definitely clear in your voice now. He must have heard it. You were _so_ screwed. It was the only thing your brain would repeat, even though human deaths by cetas were rare these days. They still happened, though, and the corded muscles holding you still could easily tear you limb from limb.

Connor moved closer, head tilted in curiosity, but worse, his armband was glowing yellow again.

_Blue, go through._

_Yellow, not mellow._

_Red, you’re dead._

The motto the technicians lived by. You were pretty sure you were dead anyway, even without the color codes. You glanced down at Nines’ armband and it was yellow too.

_Not good._

Connor chirped sharply at his brother. Nines returned the sound with a lower, deeper growl. The monkey part of your brain told you a shark was about to sink its rows of teeth around your neck.

Connor released another series of noises, complex chirps and clicks you’d never heard before, and could have sworn… they were talking. Sure, cetas communicated with each other, but they didn’t have a _language_. They didn’t—

Connor moved forward and Nines moved back in equal measure. You could feel the bend of his tail against your legs, long and powerful, and the monkey part of your brain shrieked in fear again.

It was nothing compared to the terror when Nines took you away from Connor and picked up speed. You knew he was going to pull you under the water, drown you, probably not even doing it on purpose.

Tears pricked your eyes as your heart thudded in your chest. This was it. They were going to find you at the bottom of the pool the next morning, drowned and partially eaten.

Would anyone even care?

_“Nines, stop!”_

Your mouth hung open, your brain unable to process. You hadn’t shouted the words.

Nines came to an immediate standstill. Connor swam forward, brows furrowed sharply as his eyes darted between you and his brother.

“You’re scaring her.”

The words were soft, gentle, and impossibly coming from Connor’s mouth.

“Unfortunate,” a voice said, directly next to your ear. A voice that sounded almost identical to Connor’s. “But unavoidable.”

A hand clamped down over your mouth when you tried to scream, but the fight was already going out of you as an intense dizziness hit, leaving you woozy and weak. This couldn’t be happening.

They were _talking._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You come to terms with the fact the RK twins can speak, and quickly come up with a plan to break them out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone's comments and support. I really appreciate it <3 I plan to have this fic be 8-10 chapters, so hopefully not too long (she said like a liar).
> 
> Now enjoy some merboys.

The arms released you, but before you could sink under the surface a second pair of hands grabbed you, pulling you against another warm chest.

You couldn’t lift your head from where it lolled against his shoulder. That horrible faintness wouldn’t leave and you wished it would go away. Or that you would just faint already.

This wasn’t real. _It couldn’t be real._

“This was your idea, brother.”

“Yeah, I know that, but not like this! You could have warned her first!”

“And how would I have done that? Written her a note? ‘Excuse me, I know this will come as a shock to you, but we need your help. Also, we can talk.’ See how that wouldn’t have worked, Connor?”

You struggled to open your eyes, wincing at the stinging chlorinated saltwater.

“We’ve wasted too much time already. It was either tonight or never, so I apologize for not being as delicate as you wanted.”

“You weren’t delicate at all!”

Lifting your head from the shoulder you’d been leaning against, you blinked and squinted as you turned your head to see Nines shift his icy gaze to you.

“There, she’s conscious. No harm done.”

There it was. Witnessed in real time. His lips and tongue forming the words. Except your brain refused to accept it so vehemently that the faintness hit you again, and you whimpered as you closed your eyes.

“You’re an asshole,” Connor growled. You could actually feel the vibrations of his words with your face pressed to his throat. “You know that?”

“Please.” Nines’ dripping sarcasm was startlingly human. “Your little crush does not impress.”

“ _My_ little crush?”

Forcing your head off his shoulder, you slowly turned to look at Connor, blinking owlishly.

Connor stared back, slightly tilting his head in that way that was painfully familiar, even as he opened his mouth to speak words that shouldn’t have been possible.

“Are you okay?”

You nodded quite factually.

“Mmhmm.”

Connor’s brows rose as he looked you over, an impressive feat considering he still had one arm tucked around your back and the other around your shoulder blades.

“You don’t look okay.”

“Mmm, I’m fine.”

You really were, once you decided it was all a dream. Just… a very detailed dream. Every detail of Connor’s beautiful face was so real and so close, much closer than you’d ever been before. Every mole, freckle, and smooth inch of his skin. Very detailed.

Connor’s eyes widened the longer he stared at your face.

“Nines?” he asked, slightly turning his head toward his brother but keeping his eyes fixed on you. “I think she’s in shock.”

You weren’t in shock, you were _dreaming_ , and you did what any reasonable person would do when having a dream about a gorgeous, talking Connor. You leaned forward the last few inches and pressed your lips against his mouth.

You had barely registered the feel of the soft, wet, pliant feel of it before you were yanked backwards.

Connor had to release you from the force of it, his expression wide with shock, his armband a solid red.

_Red, you’re dead._

The giggle that had bubbled up your throat immediately died as you were spun around in the water and a narrow-eyed Nines stared down at you.

“Hmm,” he hummed thoughtfully. You tried not to giggle again, and instead snorted out of your nose. “I underestimated how fragile the human psyche is when forced with something outside its known worldview.”

“You _think?”_ Connor snapped, swimming around you so he could gesture at you. “First you scared her, now you put her in a state of shock.”

“Hush,” Nines said, still holding you aloft in the water though he kept you nearly at arm’s length. “She will be fine.”

“You don’t know that! Humans _do_ die from shock, Nines!”

“You’re not…” You stared at Nines’ face. This dream was lasting an awful long time. “Not talking… can’t be… You’re a…”

You searched for the word. Found it. Lost it again. Determined that shutting your eyes and going to sleep would be much easier, and then maybe you’d wake up and be all warm and dry in your own bed.

Instead, you were dunked underwater, the cold hitting your face and forcing your eyes to open. Before you could suck in a startled breath and drown yourself, you were pulled back up to the surface.

Coughing and blinking, you wiped the water from your face and tried to get your bearings.

“Nines! What are you _doing!”_

“She can’t fall asleep, Connor. She needs to wake up.”

Your hand slowly dragged down your face and you stared at the twin brothers. Who were speaking. Quite fluently in English.

“Oh.”

So it wasn’t a dream. The strange drunken shock seemed to be fading away, but it was quickly becoming replaced by sharp panic.

The larger ceta pulled you closer, hands tightly clasped on your shoulders.

“This is not a dream and you are sane. Do you understand?”

“No,” you said, heart hammering in your chest as you were forced to suck in more air. “No, I don’t.”

You broke away from him, struggling to keep yourself above the surface as you swam to the ladder as fast as you could. Something was clearly wrong. You were having a stroke, or an aneurysm, or something else equally horrible—

You slipped under the surface of the water again, limbs still uncoordinated and sluggish, but something grabbed your wrists and pulled you to the surface. You grabbed on automatically, coughing when you reached air again, and you saw your arms were wrapped around Connor’s shoulders, chest pressed against his back.

“You’re going to be fine,” he reassured you, pulling you through the water as he gave you a half-piggyback ride. “You … need some time to adjust.”

“We don’t _have_ time,” Nines growled from somewhere to your left. “We must leave. _Tonight_.”

“I know,” Connor responded, so quietly you almost couldn’t hear him over the lapping water.

When Connor stopped in front of the ladder, you reached up and grabbed the flat, rubbery rungs and pulled yourself out of the water. Trying to stand was a mistake, the room immediately starting to spin, so you sat back down on the edge of the water and cradled your head. Your knees were aching and throbbing, and that more than anything told you that you were awake. You never felt the pain in your dreams.

“Am I sick? Or dying?” You paused. “Or dead?”

There was a gentle brush on your ankle and pulled your hands away to find Connor staring up at you. It was such a sad expression, his brows pulled and his brown eyes liquid with sympathy, and you wondered how you could have ever thought they were just sophisticated animals.

“No. You’re awake. As far as I can tell, you’re not dying.”

You just stared at him, at both of them, and waited to wake up.

You didn’t. You had a very strong suspicion, you weren’t going to. This was real.

“So…” You inhaled and slowly released a heavy breath. “You can talk.”

Nines raised one elegant brow as he tread closer.

“Yes.”

“Why me?” you asked, slightly shivering as you slowly air dried, leaving you chilled. “Why not talk to-to the scientists. The technicians. Show them you’re sentient.”

Connor frowned and Nines actually rolled his eyes.

“Yes, because humans have such a wonderful track record with other species they perceive as a threat.”

Nines had a point there, and you weren’t naïve enough to think Dr. Kamski and Dr. Stern wouldn’t see this as an opportunity they could take advantage of.

“They’re cruel enough just believing we’re dumb beasts. Which is why we’re leaving tonight,” Nines added, eyes narrowed dangerously as if he thought you would argue against it.

Which of course, you did.

“What? What do you mean, you’re _leaving?”_

“Yes,” Connor finally spoke up, expression nearly as grim as his brother’s. “And we need your help.”

“Need my…”

This was crazy. You were just getting used to the fact they could talk, and they sprung this on you?

“Help, yes,” Connor continued your unfinished sentence. “I… don’t know if you’re aware of what the technicians have been doing, but for the past week, they’ve been pulling me out of the tank for a procedure.”

Your lips tugged into a frown.

“Yeah, I knew they were pulling you out. Just not what for.”

It was hard to forget the angry roars as the handlers sedated Nines so they could remove Connor from the main pool, strap him to a gurney, and wheel him to another part of the facility. The memory of it, and the helpless anger you had felt, made a heavy stone sink in your stomach.

“They were…” He paused and chewed on the inside of his cheek. “…administering a daily injection. We didn’t know what it was, but then we overheard them talking about it.”

Connor faltered, his face growing paler than it already was. Nines picked up where he left off, his jaw tightened and his eyes pure steel.

“Hormone shots. They said they wanted to increase Connor’s fertility. He’s being shipped out to a breeding facility. Tomorrow.”

The blood drained from your own face at his words. You hadn’t heard anything about this, but then again, ceta handling and transfer wasn’t your department. You just chopped up the food, cleaned up after the techs, and were basically a glorified record keeper and janitor. Years of university and a biology degree got you in the door, but not much further than that.

Still, you were surprised Connor was the one going to a breeding facility instead of Nines. He was much larger, his muscles well-defined, and aside from his drooping dorsal fin, he was at peak health—

Your face heated and you silenced your own train of thought. He was a _person_ , not a prized breeding stallion.

“Will you help us?” Connor’s eyes were pleading, somehow even more endearing now that you knew he could talk.

And you’d just compared both of them to animals. That wasn’t the worst of it. Looking back at the ways you’d treated them both like some kind of beloved pet was mortifying. You wanted to bury your head into your hands and die of embarrassment, but you didn’t have that luxury. Like it or not, they didn’t have anyone else to… to turn to.

They _trusted_ you, you realized with instant, horrific guilt.

“Okay.” You rubbed your cheeks, trying to will away the last of the wooziness that still clung to you like oil. Connor’s face brightened, and you rushed to explain, “I… I want to help you. I really do. But I wouldn’t know how to get you out of here without a crane and a truck with a tank bed—“

“Oh,” Connor said, tilting his head. “That won’t be a problem. We can walk.”

You stared at him for several, long seconds.

“I’m sorry. _What?”_

“We can form legs,” Nines responded, his tone flat. “The historic accounts about our people being able to walk between land and sea? We never lost the ability. We just… show it sparingly.”

Just like their ability to talk. And the fact they were people.

“Is there anything _else_ you want to tell me while we’re on the topic of things you two can do?”

You immediately winced at your sharp tone, sighing into your hands. “I’m sorry. I’m just… this is a lot to take in, okay?”

“No, don’t apologize.”

You felt the feather-light touch your ankle hanging in the water, and like always, it made you feel warm and calm.

“I knew it would cause you distress. It’s why I wouldn’t let Nines show you the truth sooner.”

His voice was gentle, sweet, just like Connor. Even with everything you’d learned about them, they were still… _them_. There was just more to them now. They were people, _real_ people, and isn’t that what you’d always secretly wanted, deep down in a place you wouldn’t even admit to yourself? That cetas were more than just pretty, human-like creatures?

“Can all cetas talk and walk, or is it just you two?” You looked up at your hands, just in time to catch Connor glance at his brother from where he was treading water a foot or so away.

“We all can,” Nines said. Even now, you had to marvel how his voice sounded exactly like you’d always imagined it if he could speak. Low, heavy, and without inflection. “We just choose not to.”

“Why not?” Connor and Nines weren’t the only cetas in captivity, so why didn’t more of them escape? “You could have walked out of here at any time—“

“And go where?” Narrowed grey eyes glared up at you, the muscles in his jaw pulled taut. “We wouldn’t know where to run. How to find clothing or food. All we know is we are very far inland and a long way from home.”

He had a point, one you hadn’t even considered, and your cheeks burned as you looked down at your lap. Your hands were half-curled on top of your bare thighs, mostly dried now over the course of your conversation. Goosebumps broke over them, both because of the cold and the topic of conversation.

“I’ll help,” you eventually said, looking up at them. “Of course I will.”

You expected their expressions to change, for some kind of relief or joy to be there. Instead, they had nearly identical frowns.

“If you do this...” Connor moved closer, the ripples from his wake tickling your calves. He chewed the inside of his cheek again, a habit you’d always found endearing. “If you do this, there’s no going back. They’ll know what you did. You’ll have to leave everything behind.”

You thought of your sparse, one bedroom apartment. How empty it was, devoid of life as you went to bed and woke up each day alone. Not even a dog or cat to keep you company. Your friends and family lived far away, and your coworkers looked down on you as little more than a well-educated maid.

Would anyone even notice your absence? If you just vanished one day without a trace, would anyone care?

It didn’t matter. This wasn’t about you or the tragedy of your barren life. This was about Connor and Nines and getting them away from this hellhole. Especially Connor. There was no way in hell you were letting them cart him off to a breeding facility like some kind of broodmare.

“I know.” You gave him your best smile, but you knew there was something broken about it even before Connor leaned his cheek against your knee.

Old habit caused you to move without thinking, running your fingers gently through his damp hair. It took you a second to realize what you were doing, but when Connor closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, you didn’t have the heart to pull away. At least he didn’t find the touch demeaning.

“It’s worth it, though,” you added, voice barely above a whisper. You meant it, too. The way cetas were used and exploited angered you, bitterly, and that was when you’d thought they were simple creatures. You’d only gone into marine science because you thought you could help them. Understand them better so more ceta-protection laws could be passed.

The dreams of a child. It had taken you far too long to realize that people were only interested in cetas as long as they could profit off them. Worst of all, you now knew cetas had the intelligence to know _exactly_ what was being done to them.

You wouldn’t let that happen to the twins. Even if it ruined your career and got you thrown in prison, at least you’d be able to live with yourself at the end of the day.

Your only regret was that you wouldn’t be there in the morning to see Stern and Kamski’s face when they saw the main pool empty, their precious grant funding gone.

Still running your fingers through Connor’s soft strands, you sensed a pair of steely eyes watching you. Maybe Nines didn’t like the fact you were touching his brother, though it was no different than any other time you’d interacted with Connor.

Only it was different now, wasn’t it? Suddenly the touch was unbearably intimate, even more with Nines watching like a hawk.

You were about to say something, anything, to bring Connor out of the haze he seemed to be in, his eyes closed and expression blissful as he leaned against your knee, when Nines moved toward the poolside ladder.

He grabbed the rungs and pulled himself up, and you caught a glimpse of his dark fins and white underbelly before they began to… melt away. Almost slipping off of him, the rubbery flesh disappeared and became pale, smooth skin.

And then the smooth skin became a very impressive set of legs and ass.

Your face was burning magma hot, but you couldn’t stop staring as Nines stood on the poolside deck, tall and defined with supple muscles, looking very much like any other human aside from the glowing armband that flashed to yellow when he caught you staring.

Quickly fixing your eyes on the water before you could get a look at what hung between his legs (and from the glimpse you got, it was _very_ proportional to the rest of him), you breathed out a quiet, “Okay. Guess you guys really can walk.”

Your comment finally roused Connor; he blinked and swam away a few inches, a sheepish expression on his face. You removed your hand from his hair, immediately missing it. Which was stupid. You shouldn’t be doing that anymore—touching him like you had any right to.

He, too, went to the ladder, the smooth grey flesh of his tail melting away to reveal that pale expanse of skin you knew you should look away from just as strongly as you wanted to touch it, see if it felt real. Or… was it real? You didn’t really understand how it worked, or how either of them could walk to begin with. Scientifically it didn’t seem possible, but you couldn’t deny what was in front of you either.

There was no time for further questions. You were really doing this. Without a word, you got to your feet, grabbed your clothing, and slipped them back on as you formulated your plan.

All the while doing your best to keep your eyes above their waists. Easier said than done with both of them so much taller than you.

“All right,” you said as you pulled your damp hair above the collar of your shirt. “Some people live on-site, so there’s a gym and shower nearby. There should be some shorts in there, some shower sandals, maybe even some gym hoodies. After that… I have to figure out a way to get you to my car.”

You didn’t think it would be too hard getting them out. The facility was meant to keep people _out_ , not keep them in, plus it was late and the security would be running a skeleton crew.

Turning to Connor, you motioned toward his armband. “What about those? How do we take them off? With scissors or…”

You trailed off as Connor shook his head. “The electrodes for the monitors are embedded in our muscles. It will take some time to remove them.”

He must have sensed your confusion, because he gave a small shrug and said, “That’s what the technicians said. They often speak as if we’re not there. It allows us to learn many things. You would be surprised how many people leave their phones around, complete with internet access.”

Connor attempted to give you a smile, but that guilt twisted inside you again. The knowledge that you hadn’t been much different than those techs, seeing the cetas as pretty but dumb creatures, made you actually nauseous.

You grabbed a pair of nearby towels from a supply cupboard and handed it to the twins so they wouldn’t have to walk around nude. Neither of them seemed to mind, or have a shred of modesty, but your own face was on fire and you couldn’t come up with a decent plan while you were distracted being in the company of two very attractive, buck-naked men.

It was going to be a long, long night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You help the boys escape and start your journey to the Atlantic. Conflicted feelings begin to make themselves known, and you tell yourself it means nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing the last chapter as we speak, so hopefully by the next update this fic will be entirely done! It should top out at around 22k words with two explicit sex scenes.
> 
> As a reward for making it this far, enjoy the merboy banner below.

Getting the RK brothers out of MarineLife was surprisingly simple, especially when the head of security was in charge that night, a particular rat bastard who happened to have an unfortunate interest in you.

It was simple to strike up a conversation with Gavin, standing outside on the loading platform on his smoke break. You succeeded in drawing his attention away from the back door, allowing the twins to walk through and hide in the shadows until you could make your own escape.

What _wasn’t_ simple was actually executing that escape, as you were now trapped politely declining Gavin’s pushy advances.

“Come on,” he said, leaning an arm against the wall and effectively blocking the path to the parking lot. The halogen lights hanging on the outside of the lab highlighted the scar on his nose, giving him an especially sinister look that evening. “Go out with me, just for one night. I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”

Cringing internally at his smarmy smirk, you tried to smile as you waved away the cigarette smoke in your face. You didn’t know why the head of security took the graveyard shift when he could relegate it to someone else, and the implications had always set you on edge. It was no secret he got the job because his half-brother was the founder of the company, and everyone despised him, even his own brother.

Most nights you specifically waited to leave until he was off his smoke break and wouldn’t catch you outside, but now that you had his attention you wondered how badly it would backfire.

“No, thanks. I’m fine.”

He screwed up his nose and pulled in another lungful of smoke.

“What, you got a boyfriend or somethin’?”

You opened your mouth to answer no, but hesitated a fraction of a second too long. Not knowing why your mind had immediately gone to the two brothers, you decided a different answer might be more useful here.

“Actually,” you finally said. “I do.”

Gavin scoffed and rolled his eyes as he flicked the ashes off his cigarette.

“Yeah, sure.”

“It’s true,” you insisted, folding your arms across your chest. A protective gesture against his lingering, unwanted gaze. “He’s waiting for me at home.”

“Then why haven’t I ever heard of him?”

You clutched your arms tighter as the anger finally slipped through.

“Because it’s none of your goddamn business, _Gavin_.”

Heart thudding and each breath shaking, you took advantage of his stunned expression to walk past him, waiting for him to say something in response.

He never did.

Before you went to the first row of cars where you’d watched Connor and Nines ducked down, you checked over your shoulder. Gavin was still outside staring in your direction, but at least he wasn’t following.

When you were out of sight, you whispered Connor’s name and nearly jumped out of your skin as both brothers slipped out from the shadows between two vehicles. For having lived all of their lives in water, they sure knew how to be silent on land.

You unlocked your old car and slipped inside, making sure they both had their seatbelts secure before you drove from the lot. Your hands were still shaking and you wished you had an automated car instead of the ancient Subaru that was about as old as you were.

The drive from Belle Isle to your apartment was silent and strange. You didn’t know what to say to the twins, and they didn’t say anything in return. At least, out loud. You’d always had the suspicion they could communicate in some way humans couldn’t understand, and now you believed it when out of the corner of your eye you saw Connor slightly move in the passenger seat. Head tilted and slightly angled toward the back seat where Nines resided.

But not a word was said aloud, so you kept quiet as well.

Packing up what you wanted to take with you was depressingly easy and quick. There wasn’t much, and once you had a duffel bag stuffed full of clothes and toiletries, you were basically ready to leave your life behind. There was nothing to keep you there. Nothing you would miss or couldn’t live without.

You weren’t sure where you were going yet. You plotted into your GPS the most direct route to the east coast. The fastest way would be to cut through Canada across the lakes, but even if you managed to smuggle the brothers across the border, the chance you would be caught reentering the country a few hours later in order to reach the ocean were too high.

So you settled for heading south toward Cleveland and making it to the Atlantic within a day. Possibly two, if you ran into problems.

You wanted to drive as long as you could, but four hours after you’d broken the twins out of the facility, you were barely able to keep your eyes open and your legs were killing you. Disappointed with your lack of progress, but not wanting to fall asleep at the wheel, you stopped in Cleveland and paid for a cheap hotel room with cash.

You were so tired that you didn’t think about the fact you’d rented one room, with one bed. You decided you didn’t care. The drive and the strange night had taken a toll, and by the time you’d gone into the bathroom to change into a loose shirt and sleeping shorts, you were willing to sleep on the floor just to get some rest.

Exhaustion made you bold; you tucked into the middle of the bed and patted the covers next to you. Connor got the idea first, and shed his shirt and pants quickly, giving you barely any time to choke out, “Connor, please keep your underwear _on_.”

He tilted his head and pulled his fingers away from the waistband of his boxer-briefs. It was bad enough he was wearing next to nothing as he crawled under the covers, but you didn’t have the heart to tell him to put his jeans back on. Connor had picked them out himself when you’d stopped at a thrift store before leaving Detroit, and they fit him a little _too_ well.

For a guy who’d never had legs before, he sure had them now.

“Nines.” He hadn’t moved from his spot near the door, frozen as if ready to run. You patted the mattress on the other side of you, trying to sound as non-threatening as possible. As if you could ever really pose a threat to him. “You need sleep. Come and lie down.”

He still looked like he might flee out the door, the yellow glow of his armband glowing from underneath the sleeve of his shirt. They’d both had to continue wearing hoodies to cover the bright bands, which you hoped wouldn’t attract attention as it was the beginning of summer and already sweltering hot during the day.

Nines eventually followed your suggestion, though much more reluctantly than his brother, and pulled off his hoodie but left on his own pair of jeans and shirt.

“You’re going to overheat,” Connor told him, a disapproving tilt to his mouth. “You really should remove your clothing.”

“Thank you for your opinion, brother,” he replied, almost petulant, and you had to press your lips together to keep from smiling.

Head already on the pillow, you closed your eyes as you faced Connor. You would have preferred to lie on your back, but there simply wasn’t enough room on the Queen-sized bed when shared with two larger bodies.

When you felt the mattress dip behind you, you were forced to move closer to Connor, your knees and feet brushing together. You made sure to keep your eyes shut tight; it was bad enough you could feel his warm breath on your face, but you didn’t think you would survive seeing those warm, brown eyes up close.

Despite his larger frame, Nines somehow managed to not touch you at all. You tried not to be disappointed, because that would have been _unreasonable_ and _wrong_. Fortunately, as soon as Connor reached back and turned off the lamp, you were already falling into a deep sleep.

When you opened your eyes again, you were confused for several reasons.

One, the room was still dark apart from a faint, soothing blue from the armbands of the sleeping brothers.

Two, you were caged in on both sides by warm, bare skin. Extremely warm skin, especially from your front.

You opened your eyes and carefully looked down, seeing the tangle of limbs wrapped around you. It took you a moment to realize both brothers had their arms wrapped around you. Nines was pressed against your back while Connor had you tucked against his chest.

Your mouth was dry as sand as your heart pounded loudly in your ears. You could still hear their soft breathing, informing you they were asleep, which you were grateful for. You had to find a way to deal with the very obvious erections: one against your stomach while the other was pressed against your ass. Nines had definitely removed his clothes during the night, and you couldn’t tell if he even had underwear on.

Shutting your eyes tight, you tried to tamp down the heat in your lower gut and the sudden wetness between your legs. Panic warred with your arousal. It was wrong, you shouldn’t feel this way about them, but your body had decided it didn’t care that they were human.

Just that they were close, their unique scent of clean salt filling your senses, their warm bodies pressed against you.

Still… should they be _this_ warm?

You put your fingertips against Connor’s arm with a frown. His skin was burning hot, and despite the face you were sweating through your clothes, neither of them seemed to be damp at all. You couldn’t find a single drop of sweat under your fingers, just an expanse of hot, dry skin.

Concern outweighing your embarrassment, you gently shook Connor by the shoulder and whispered, “Connor, can you hear me?”

The sharp breath didn’t come from in front of you, but from over your shoulder, and after a few seconds Nines quickly removed his arms and legs from around you.

He said your name in a question, voice hoarse, and you looked over your shoulder.

“It’s Connor,” you told him. “He’s really warm.”

_“Shit.”_

Nines was out of the bed in an instant; you were able to watch his progress across the room to the light switch by the yellow glow of his armband. When he turned the light on and moved to Connor’s side and placed a hand on the back of his neck, the armband flashed red before returning to yellow.

“He’s dehydrated,” Nines said grimly. “We both are.”

In the glow of the bedside lamp you were able to see he was correct. All along both of their shoulders and cheeks was bluish skin, as if they’d been badly bruised. You even thought you could see it begin to peel.

“Connor, wake up,” his brother said, gently shaking him by the shoulder.

Connor groaned and clung to you tighter, pulling you flat against his chest and almost squeezing the breath out of you.

Nines frowned and grabbed Connor’s wrists, forcing his arms apart long enough for you to escape their reach.

He rolled Connor onto his back and studied his features, frowning further. Nines gently tapped him on the cheek, and when he didn’t get a response, he slapped him.

“Wake up, Connor!”

 _“Ow!”_ Connor hissed, glaring up at his brother through slitted eyes. “What was that for!”

“To wake you,” Nines responded, eyes hooded and unimpressed. “Now, get up before I do it again.”

Without waiting for a response, Nines grabbed him by the arm and forced him out of bed, propping Connor up by using his shoulder for support. Nines grit his teeth and said, “Help me get him to the bathroom.”

“I’m _fine_ ,” Connor insisted, but you listened to Nines and opened the bathroom door ahead of them. You flipped on the switch to reveal the sad state of it, faded tiles and peeling wallpaper, and then moved out again because there wouldn’t be enough room for the three of you.

“You’re not fine. You’re suffering from desiccation sickness.” Nines removed Connor’s arm from around his shoulder, turned him around, and half-pushed, half-carried him down into the bathtub.

_“Hey!—“_

Connor let out an undignified squawk when Nines turned on the shower full-blast, hitting Connor in the face with it.

You let out a yelp and sprang out of the way just in time. Connor’s pale, freckled legs had sprouted into a powerful grey tail that slapped against the floor in a tantrum.

As the water drenched his face and chest, Connor went almost completely limp, tilting his head back and sighing as his yellow armband went to a calm blue.

You just stood there, unable to stop staring at the rubbery tail and the grey fin sticking out from his back. It had been the first time since you’d seen their ceta features since leaving the MarineLife lab.

Nines turned off the shower and stared down at his brother with his arms folded across his chest.

“Better?”

“Yeah,” Connor said, a slight shake in his voice. “Thanks.”

Nines hummed in acknowledgement and leaned down, placing the back of his hand against Connor’s forehead.

“Still too warm,” the larger brother said, frowning unhappily. “I fear the hormone injections have made it worse for you. Even so, we both need to be fully submerged, and for longer than a few minutes. The bath won’t be large enough for even one of us.”

It was true, Connor barely fit in the tub sitting in it sideways. There was no way he would be able to get his entire lower body completely underwater.

“What about the motel pool?”

They both turned to look at you, and you flushed under the scrutiny. It would have been better one of them hadn’t been in his underwear and the other was now technically naked.

“It should be open for the summer. I know it’s chlorinated, but so were the pools back at the lab. The only issue is it’s not saltwater, so I’m not sure how well you can survive in—“

“It’ll do for now,” Nines interrupted. He blinked and in a gentler tone said, “Thank you for the suggestion.”

“Sure,” you said, shrugging and turning away so they couldn’t see the flush on your face.

“We have to remove the armbands first,” Connor insisted. You were forced to look away a second time when you saw patches of grey, rubbery skin disappear, replaced by smooth, human flesh. His underwear was a tattered band around his waist, and there was nothing to cover him.

You quickly grabbed a towel and handed it in his direction all while keeping your head turned away. “How do we, uh, remove them?”

“I imagine we’ll just have to tear them out,” Nines said. “Whatever damage is caused will heal in the water.”

You glanced back, saw Connor had wrapped the towel around his waist, and breathed in relief. He sat on the edge of the tub, and when Nines also straddled the edge of the tub to take his brother’s arm in his hand to examine the glowing band, your chest tightened.

“Are… are you sure this is a good idea?” you stammered. “It sounds… risky.”

“We don’t have any choice,” Connor said. His brown eyes were soft, his damp hair clinging to his skin in a way that was unfairly sexy. “It’ll be all right. The damage won’t be permanent.”

You watched, stiff and motionless, as Nines gripped the top edge of the armband and tore downwards.

Connor flinched and gripped the edge of the tub, shoulders hunched as blue blood trickled down his arm. Like some other sea creatures, they had hemocyanin in their blood, giving it that particular shade.

Nines frown was concentrated and his brows furrowed as he slowly tugged the armband a centimeter at a time. Thin filaments connected Connor’s skin and the band, the strands ending in electrodes buried in the muscle.

More blood trickled down his arm with each tug and you felt the wooziness return, the blood rushing from your head. You sat down on the closed toilet lid before you could collapse, but said nothing so you wouldn’t distract Nines.

He glanced up at you anyway, frowning further.

“You don’t have to stay for this,” Connor said, giving you a shaky smile.

“N-no, I’m fine. I’m not going to leave you.”

Nines gave a soft snort as if he found your statement amusing.

“If you want to be helpful, you can go out and purchase some more food. We’re going to need it after this.”

You looked away, a sharp pain tugging in your chest. Connor shot him an irritated look; the kind that said he was was going to start a fight with his brother. You’d seen that expression on Connor’s face just before he snapped and hissed at the larger ceta, though Nines had usually ignored him.

Despite Nines’ track record with biting and maiming personnel, he’d never hurt Connor once. You knew he was in good hands now, and Nines would do everything he could to look out for him.

“Good idea,” you said, standing up and putting on a smile for Connor’s sake. “I’ll go see what’s open and grab us some food.”

Connor’s eyes took on the same puppy dog look they always did when you had to leave after your stolen swimming sessions.

You didn’t want to leave him either, not like this when he was so obviously in pain and discomfort, but you weren’t any use to them pacing around and wringing your hands. It was better to actually do something helpful, like you’d promised.

“I’ll have my phone in case you need me.” Just before leaving Detroit, you’d tossed your old phone and bought three disposables, one for each of you in case you got separated. You’d even made sure they were waterproof, in case the twins had to make an escape in the nearest waterway.

“We won’t need it,” Nines said, once again dismissive as he concentrated on Connor’s arm.

Before Connor could argue, which he clearly wanted to from the indignation on his face, you slipped out of the bathroom, got dressed, and left the motel room. Clutching your room key and walking down to your car, able to clear your head without the sight and smell of the strange, copper-scented blood, you tried not to take Nines’ tone personally. Maybe he really didn’t like you, and you’d misinterpreted all the little signs and gestures as something more than they were.

The unhelpful part of your brain pulled up the memory of being pressed between them, wrapped up in their arms, and you suppressed it immediately. It didn’t mean anything, and you had more important things to focus on than pathetic, wishful thinking.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys need to hydrate, and you spend some time with them in the motel pool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally have the story finished! 9 chapters (in honor of our best orca boy) and 24k words. So expect more frequent and scheduled updates until it's over. Thank you for all your wonderful comments and support :) I never thought people would want to read this odd little AU and I'm very grateful to each of you <3

It was still too early in the morning for the sun to make an appearance, let alone for markets to open, so you found a 24-hour grocery store that still had (relatively) fresh fish out on display. You purchased the kind they liked the most, and grabbed some food for yourself from the to-go counter. You’d found a better haul than you’d expected.

Unable to stop thinking about the dripping blue blood and the pain on Connor’s face, you grabbed some gauze, bandages, and ointment from the shelves. Laden with medical supplies and raw fish, you were glad no one was there to judge you at the self-checkout counter.

Connor and Nines had both removed their armbands by the time you returned, and though they’d tried to rinse the bathtub, it was still tinged faint blue and smelled of copper.

The skin that had been under the armbands was inflamed and irritated, and seeing the look on your face, Connor took the paper-wrapped fish from you and touched your elbow with his other hand.

“Once we submerge in the water, it’ll start to heal on its own. It looks worse than it is,” he added with a faint smile.

You nodded but said nothing, your voice having fled at the simple touch. Connor was good at that, making you flustered even before you’d known he could speak and understand you.

Nines remained silent, simply stripped his fish down to the bones with his sharp teeth as he ignored you both. He was dressed now, thankfully they both were, but no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t stop thinking about how it felt to wake up with both of them pressed against you, equally hard.

You told yourself they’d been asleep. They might not even understand what it meant. Sure, cetas had genitals and mated like any other creature, but you were a completely different species. Surely they didn’t see you with any kind of sexual or romantic interest. Earlier tonight had just been an awkward accident.

You were pulled from your thoughts as both twins stood up, balled up the seafood scented wax paper, and threw them onto the nearby table. You wrinkled your nose.

“We’re going to have to throw those out, it already smells like fish and blood in here.”

“Later,” Connor said, and with a cheeky grin grabbed your hand and pulled you to your feet. “Right now, we swim.”

“Connor—“

But he was already pulling you out the door and you couldn’t deny him anything, not when his brown eyes were bright with excitement and the corners of his mouth were pulled into a grin.

You sensed more than heard Nines following, a large, intimidating presence you were growing familiar with. Connor forced you to keep your eyes forward, paying attention to where your feet were going as he tugged and pulled you to the pool area. By the time you got there, you were smiling at his sheer enthusiasm.

Connor finally released your hand to begin stripping off his clothing, and you turned away, not quick enough to avoid catching sight of his taut back muscles. You swallowed dryly as you moved away, rolling up your pant legs to sit at the edge and stick your feet in the water. You’d done it many times before back at the lab, and the sight of Connor’s naked chest and back were nothing new to you.

And yet, this time felt very different. You kept your eyes firmly on the dark water, listening intently to the sound of clothing being shed behind you. You heard the soft splashes as they slid beneath the water, but you couldn’t make them out under the water with the pool lights turned off. It was far past open pool hours, and you had to pray that no one stumbled out here at four in the morning

Just like he usually did, Connor surfaced right in front of your legs, and even in the dim light you could see his toothy smile.

“You know you’re coming in to swim with us, right?”

“I don’t think so,” you said, playfully nudging his side with your toe. “The water’s freezing.”

“I’ll keep you warm.”

Connor said it with complete sincerity, no teasing or playfulness in his voice whatsoever.

You still stuttered like a teenager being asked to prom.

“I, uh… I’m not wearing my bathing suit.” It was in your suitcase only because you’d worn it the day you left Detroit, but you’d changed out of it since then.

“So?” He shrugged, but his casual attitude didn’t match the gentle hand on your ankle, the thumb tracing a slow circle into your skin. “Wear your clothes. Or… take them off. There’s no one else here.”

You were sure you’d imagined the catch in his voice. Connor was rarely shy or unsure about anything.

Giving him a skeptical look out of the corner of your eye, you rose to your feet and checked again that the pool area was clear of other motel residents. You doubted if anyone stumbled across the pool they would notice a half-naked woman beside the two cetas, but you still felt self-conscious as you stripped off your clothes.

Leaving on your underwear and bra, you shivered and sat back down at the edge of the pool. Nines was nowhere to be seen, but you knew he had to be under the surface, lurking in the dark water. That thought might have been nerve-wracking once upon a time, but now it was comforting to know he was there.

You opened your mouth with the intention of asking how long they needed to be in the water, since the plan was to leave and continue the journey after waking up.

Instead, you yelped as you were pulled into the water by two strong hands around your hips. You sputtered but never had the chance to inhale any water; Connor had grabbed you and pulled you to the surface immediately, grinning from ear to ear and apparently pleased with his handiwork.

You splashed him with water, snorting when he scrunched his nose and released you.

“I’ve taken care of the cameras,” a low voice drawled from over your shoulder, “but that doesn’t mean you can’t be heard.”

In direct contradiction to his suggestion, you yelped and covered your mouth with your hand, also hiding the smirk where Nines couldn’t see it. He still glared at you as if he knew full well it was there.

“What do you mean, you ‘took care’ of the cameras?” you asked, pulling your hand away.

Nines somehow managed to look down at you even though you were eye level.

“You do know we have echolocation, yes?”

“Yeah?”

“Well. If we focus the burst of subsonic frequency at an electronic device, we can effectively interrupt the signal and even cause it to overload.”

You blinked, brows furrowed as you frowned.

“What? No you can’t.”

The corner of his mouth twitched, his eyes half-lidded as he continued to stare at you unblinking.

“Why do you think no humans have caught cetas walking on two legs? Or why more of us aren’t in captivity to begin with? We know enough about your technology to avoid detection.”

You opened your mouth to ask why they’d been in captivity at all, but you quickly shut it. It would have been a cruel question. No matter how many tools the cetas had at their disposal, it was the fault of humans that they’d been locked away.

“I see,” you said, diplomatically. “That sounds useful.”

Nines snorted and rolled his eyes. “You don’t believe me.”

“N-no. I do.”

“Stop teasing her,” Connor said from directly behind you, so close you nearly jumped out of your skin when his tail brushed against your legs.

Nines gave a last dramatic eye roll before disappearing under the water with barely a ripple.

“It’s creepy how you guys can do that,” you muttered before turning back to Connor. “How are you feeling?”

Connor lifted up his right arm so you could see the skin in the dim light. You could still see a band of pale skin where the device had been, most likely permanent scarring, but you couldn’t see any damaged skin.

“That’s amazing,” you said, and then you winced. “I’m sorry I got all squeamish earlier. I’m not usually like that. But… seeing you in pain, and all that blood—“

“It’s okay.” Connor swam closer, his eyes gentle and his lips turned into a light smile. “You’re very… what’s the word? Empathic.”

You shook your head, but he insisted, “It’s true. It’s why we knew we could trust you.”

You dropped your gaze to the water, unable to meet Connor’s eye. Already your cheeks were warm from him being so close, and your heart thudded too fast in your chest.

His fingers brushed against your shoulder, smooth and warm. You wanted to lean into that touch so badly, but you couldn’t. It wasn’t fair to either of you.

Maybe if he’d been human…

You slipped free of his touch, giving Connor an apologetic smile before swimming a safe distance away.

You were doing the right thing, weren’t you? It was better this way, to maintain boundaries and not let yourself get more attached than you already were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shout out to Hank's House for all your encouragement to write this little adventure. Now, onward to filth.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The RK twins make their feelings known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your comments, I really appreciate them and you are all very lovely people. Now for the scene this whole fic was created around ;)
> 
> Chapter warnings: Explicit sex, threesomes, technically incest, descriptions of non-human genitalia, enthusiastic consent

Swimming on your back away from Connor, you let yourself float on the surface, staring up at the few stars you could see from the city lights. With the hum of the water in your ears and the clear sky above, it soothed the tension in your muscles and slowed your heart rate. Already your eyes were slipping closed. You’d never been able to relax like this around the twins before. No matter how affectionate they were, you’d always reminded yourself that they were wild creatures that had once hunted humans as prey.

That was still true, but knowing they were _people_ … it changed so much. It changed everything.

You just weren’t sure what it meant. Maybe it didn’t matter. Once you reached the ocean, the brothers would return to where they belonged, and you would be… what? Arrested? Go to prison?

You had stolen MarineLife property. Their most valuable assets. No matter how much that fact disgusted you, the justice system wouldn’t see it the same way.

These could be your last days of freedom. Your last chance to be outside to swim and breathe the air and look at the stars. Things you’d taken for granted and had been denied to Connor and Nines.

Didn’t they deserve that, too? Wasn’t your life worth it?

You’d already answered that question, and hence, why you were here. You didn’t regret it. You just regretted that once this was over, you would never see them again.

You trembled. Just the tiniest amount, a small movement that shook your shoulders as it rippled down your spine, but it was enough to draw gentle hands onto your arms, pulling you forward so you were no longer looking at the constellations and instead faced dark, worried eyes.

Connor said your name, low and soft. You knew you should shrug off his hands and get out of the pool, but his eyes were so kind, and you were too weak to pull away.

“What’s wrong?”

Instead of answering the question, you gave him a small, sad smile.

“I’m going to miss you, Connor.”

He went completely still, didn’t even seem to breathe as he held you aloft in the water.

“I’m going to miss Nines too.”

You blinked hard, refusing to let your vision blur, eyes stinging. How to explain to him that even on your worst days you always cheered up knowing you would get to spend time with them? That they distracted you and made you forget the ache in your worn out, pain-riddled body? That a life without them seemed hollow and meaningless?

You couldn’t explain it properly, so you only gave him a fragile smile.

“I just… it’s going to be hard letting… letting you go. I know I have to, but…”

Your words died in your throat. Connor had released your arms but his hands didn’t leave your skin, and his fingers trailed down your sides until they settled on your hips. Gripping them with slight pressure, he pulled you forward.

Startled, you brought up your hands, bracing your palms against his chest. Connor was strong, and and he had no difficulty pulling you flush against him, the feel of his tail smooth and rubbery against your bare legs.

“Connor?”

He didn’t answer your breathless question, not with words. One hand remaining on your hip, he brought the other up to your cheek, cradling your cheek as his dark eyes never left yours.

It seemed to happen in slow motion. You could have stopped it, and yet, it seemed inevitable.

Connor leaned forward pressed his mouth to yours, holding you firmly as he tilted his head to the side and licked against your lips for entry.

They parted without thought, all resistance gone as his tongue slipped inside. Closing your eyes, you cradled the sides of his neck with your hands, shivering even though you no longer felt the cold.

It wasn’t until you felt a ripple behind you that you broke the kiss, startled when you remembered Nines was still in the pool. You’d completely forgotten he was there, and when you tried to swim away from Connor, you found your way blocked. Bumping into a solid weight against your back that wouldn’t let you pass.

Nines’ arms wrapped firmly around your waist and you couldn’t move.

“N-Nines. Let me go.”

He didn’t answer, just held you firmly in place as Connor swam up to you, closing the distance until he was pressed against your chest again.

Your heart hammered wildly and your voice had completely fled. Connor didn’t kiss you again; he lowered his head to the side and nosed against your neck, licking a long stripe across your skin.

You gave a strangled moan before you could catch it. Connor must have taken it as encouragement, because he continued to explore with his lips and tongue, his fingers tracing curious, light shapes along your hips.

Nines continued to hold you around the waist as he pressed his nose against your hair, trailing downward until he reached your ear and teased it with his teeth.

You whimpered and squirmed, the sensations were overwhelming and you didn’t know if you wanted to escape or stay. It was too much, an electric warmth filling your body, and yet it wasn’t enough.

Connor sucked on the skin right over your pulse point and you arched your back, forcing Nines to pull you back against his chest.

“Please…”

The plea didn’t come from you.

“Let us…” Connor licked the bruised skin he’d left behind. “…let us have you. Please.”

His fingers were just under your bra now, teasing along the band as he planted feather-light kisses along your collarbone.

“Yes,” you breathed out. Not stopping to think, not caring about the after and what it meant. “Yes, Connor.”

He flicked open the back clip of your bra and pulled off your underwear faster than you were prepared for. He gripped the underside of your thighs and pulled your legs around his narrow hips, his eyes dark and intent.

Where you would have felt something on a human, you felt nothing but smooth, rubbery skin, but it was still enough to make you squirm. Connor cradled your cheek, forcing you to meet his eyes. Even in the dim light you could see the blue flush on his cheekbones, his pupils so large his eyes appeared black.

“If it hurts, tell me to stop, okay?”

You had no intention of doing any such thing, but you nodded anyway. Connor’s brows were drawn into a skeptical slope, so you gripped his shoulders tightly.

“I promise, Connor, just… please. I need… I need you.”

You dug your fingers into his skin for emphasis, and the little self-restraint Connor had vanished. He pushed you hard against Nines’ chest, hands gripping your hips tightly, and…

You felt it. Brushing against your entrance, and then pushing forward, already having to stretch you wide with just the head.

“Ah, w-wait.”

Connor froze immediately and pulled out. Face on fire, you reached down and carefully wrapped your hands around him, needing to make sure it was even physically possible.

The size and width of it was comparable to a typical cock, but the shape was entirely different. The head was pointed like the end of a blunt spear, and the shaft curved upwards with soft ridges along its underside.

But what really drew your attention was the way Connor reacted, his muscles going taut and his lips parted as he panted, a low whine in his throat as he tried to roll his hips and move in your grip.

Wanting to hear more of those incredible sounds, you guided him back to your entrance and pushed the tapered head inside.

Connor’s breath caught in his throat and more of those delicious, needy noises came from his chest. You squeezed your legs and he didn’t need any more encouragement as he pushed forward. Past the pointed head, his shaft widened and you couldn’t stop your body from tensing from the uncomfortable pressure.

Nines loosened one hand from around your waist and gently gripped around your throat. You released another whimper, immediately overwhelmed from the slight pressure around your neck and pushing between your legs. You couldn’t relax, not with Connor about to fuck you while his brother held you in place.

Nines must have noticed the way your body was taut like a bowstring. He sighed through his nose and raised his hand, lightly holding your jaw as he turned your head to the side. Before you understood what he was doing, his mouth was on yours, tongue prying your lips open to force its way inside.

His kiss was much different than Connor’s. It was demanding, consuming, possessive. It was as if he wanted to devour you, and the idea of it was intoxicating. You arched your back, accidentally forcing your hips forward to take in the rest of Connor’s cock.

Your sharp cry was muffled by Nines’ mouth and he greedily swallowed down the noise. He only released you from the kiss when Connor began to roll his hips, thrusting into you at a slow, deep pace. He trying to be gentle, give you time to adjust, but you were far past needing it.

 _“Connor,”_ you whined, your own voice sounding almost unrecognizable by the desperation in it, “Connor, please, fuck me, _please_ —“

He slammed hard into your hips and your words cut off with a cry. The sound was immediately muffled by Nines’ hand cupped over your mouth. You squirmed harder, walls already starting to tighten around his cock buried deep inside you.

Connor buried his own moans against your shoulder, his fingers digging hard enough to bruise. The tapered head reached deep inside, and the soft ridges rubbed you in the perfect spot.

You pressure built fast, too fast for you to prepare, and when you tightened like a vice around Connor, you thought you saw actual stars. It was a very good thing Nines was still restraining you with a hand over your mouth, otherwise you would have been screaming.

 _“Shit,”_ Connor hissed, his rhythm lost as he thrust into you hard, and with one final roll of his hips, he gripped you tightly and shuddered.

Pain suddenly blossomed from your right shoulder as Connor bit down, sinking his sharp teeth into your skin, but you were too overwhelmed by your own pleasure to care. If anything, the pain heightened it that much more, leaving you shivering and groaning as you felt Connor throbbing inside you.

As you came down from your peak, the shocking realization of what you’d done hit you like a bucket of cold water. You had just… let Connor fuck you. Against Nines. Against his own brother. And Nines had barely said a word.

Connor pulled out with care, but you still shuddered from the sensation of being left empty.

You weren’t left that way for long. Connor had barely pulled out before something else was pressing back in.

You jerked, panted as you squirmed against the intrusion, but Nines held you tight around the hips, sliding you back slowly onto his cock.

It felt rounder at the head, more human-like than Connor’s, at least until a few inches and you reached what felt like a barrier. It stretched you to an almost unbearable degree, and you realized it was some kind of knot.

Your startled cry was once against muffled by Nines’ hand, his teeth lightly nipping at the side of your jaw. He wasn’t gentle, not like Connor, and he moved and held you with exact precision and control.

You tilted your head back and groaned, your rigid muscles going lax as you surrendered to him. Each precise, calculated thrust of his hips made you arch back as far as you can, wanting to take him in as deeply as possible. Each press of his knot against your entrance was an uncomfortable burn that became warm and pleasurable.

Apparently not wanting to be left out, Connor kissed along your throat and collarbone, trailing downward beneath the water to mouth and tease at one nipple while he rubbed the other with his deft fingers.

There was so much sensation you didn’t know what to focus on. You couldn’t keep quiet even with your mouth covered, so Nines pressed two fingers against your mouth. You immediately took them in, groaning around them as you sucked greedily on the digits.

Nines growled low in his chest, his arm lung around your hips to hold you in place as he ruthlessly fucked into you. Tears hung in the corners of your eyes as the pressure built low in your gut—

And then Connor’s mouth was on you, his tongue licking your clit as his brother pounded into you from behind.

For a moment, there was nothing, just a bright, white light. You crashed back down into your body, shuddering hard, tears trailing down your cheeks as you cried around Nines’ fingers and throbbed around his cock.

The larger brother thrust into you one last time before grounding you hard against his pelvis and biting down on your other shoulder. You were going to be covered in bruises and teeth marks afterwards.

And then Nines did something very not-Nines-like; he licked at the place he’d just bitten, his tongue gentle and warm.

A second mouth was on your other shoulder with the other bite wound, Connor being just as careful as his brother. He pressed against your chest, his warm skin warding off the chill as his hands held you around the waist.

Nines was still holding your hips and you belatedly realized he was still inside you. You weren’t sure how you forgot that fact since even now he was stretching you almost-painfully wide, especially the knot which had…

_Oh._

“Are you…”

Your voice was hoarse and you cleared it before trying again.

“Are you… stuck?”

Nines hummed, still licking the bite mark. His hold had loosened somewhat, and he seemed more… affectionate. Even his voice seemed too warm and soft.

“It will deflate after a few moments.” He paused. “I think.”

“You think,” you parroted. You should have probably been alarmed, but you felt pleasantly groggy and warm over every inch of your skin. In fact, you couldn’t feel any pain in your legs at all. It was… nice.

“Mmm,” Nines hummed again. He definitely seemed out of it. You enjoyed him sounding so relaxed, of the both of them draping their warm limbs around you. You didn’t want it to end.

“I have never… This was my first time.”

“Mine too,” Connor chimed in. His head was cradled in the crook of your neck and his lips tickled your skin as he spoke. “I mean, I count it as my first time. The techs would… drug me and… take samples for the breeding program. I didn’t like it. This was… much better.”

Anger cut through your euphoric haze, but you tried to focus on Connor, not how much you wanted to murder those techs. You reached out, wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him within your tight embrace. You ran your fingers through his hair, not knowing what else to do.

“I’m sorry, Connor. I didn’t know.”

He nuzzled your neck and made a noise that was close to a cat purr.

“It’s okay. We’re away from that place now. Safe. Because of you.”

You didn’t say anything, just held him tightly while Nines continued to hold you close. Their tails brushed against your legs, easily holding you aloft, and besides the pressure of being stretched out, you would have fallen asleep immediately.

In fact, you were sure that Connor had fallen asleep. His breath was steady against your neck and he’d relaxed in your arms.

Without warning, Nines’ pulled out of you, and when you made a muffled but sharp sound he paused, and then removed himself the rest of the way more carefully. You shivered at the strange feel of it, and by the warm cum leaking out of you.

But unlike what you expected him to do, Nines didn’t swim away. He seemed to hesitate, conflicted, as if he didn’t know what to do.

With one hand in Connor’s hair, you reached down with the other and placed it on the back of Nines’ knuckles, still holding your hips.

His fingers were rigid and unyielding for a few seconds before loosening, moving apart and making room. When you pressed your fingers between his, Nines intertwined them, holding them tightly.

You stayed like that, warm and afloat between them as you watched the sky lighten into the pinks and orange of sunrise.

By the quiet wonder on Nines’ face, you realized this was his first sunrise in a long time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stopping for the night, you have a heart-to-heart with Connor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a "fun" little filler chapter before we get into the action. And by action I mean more nakey boys. I did mention we get two sex scenes, right? ;)

When Nines offered to drive, you tried to say no. There was no way he knew _how_ to drive, but he insisted he was a fast learner, and you were barely able to stand.

Connor had explained the reason why with his cheeks tinged an adorable blue. Something about ceta semen having a ‘sedative’ effect on humans. Your response was to give him a goofy smile and tell him that meant you were ‘drugged on his cum.’

His face had gone an impressive shade of blue as he’d led you out to the car.

It turned out Nines _was_ a decent driver, or seemed to be from your limited view of the backseat, your head resting in Connor’s lap. He hadn’t exaggerated about the strange aftereffects, though in all honesty, you didn’t mind. Connor’s fingers trailed lightly across your hair, fingertips rubbing your scalp, you thought you might have died and gone to heaven. Even the pain in your legs was unnoticeable, something you hadn’t experienced in years.

You were going to joke if ceta semen had magical healing properties but you fell asleep before you could, and by the time you woke up, you were sober and aching again. Not a magic cure-all then, but a temporary, effective distraction.

It would have been scientifically interesting if you hadn’t been so shocked at your own behavior. You’d had sex with, not one, but _both_ of them. You hadn’t planned for it to happen, and now that it had, your stomach churned terribly with nerves.

As if that wasn’t complicated enough, you had the two bite marks on your shoulders that meant something very specific to ceta behavior. Were they aware of what the marks meant? They’d bandaged your shoulders with the supplies meant for them, and apart from apologizing for biting you (“I don’t know why I did it,” Connor had said, brows furrowed), they hadn’t said anything else about it.

They couldn’t possibly know. According to the records, they’d been wild-caught very young and hadn’t been old enough to be taught by other wild cetas. It had just been instinct, nothing more. You weren’t going to tell them that cetas only bit during sex to mark their chosen, lifelong mate.

What would be the point in telling them, anyway? It wasn’t like you were a viable mate to begin with. Plus, you would reach the coast by the end of the day, and they would be gone from your life forever. Leaving you only twin scars to remember them by.

You buried your face against Connor’s thigh, wishing you were drugged or high or whatever. The biologist in you wondered why their semen even had that affect. Was it simply a mismatch of biology? Or was it a way to actually lure and capture their prey, like a spider with a web.

If so, you were a thoroughly captivated fly. Connor’s fingers had started moving in your hair again, and your eyes were already half-closed as you fought to stay awake.

You couldn’t stay in Connor’s lap forever, unfortunately. Rubbing your eyes, you pulled yourself into a sitting position, wincing at the sharp pain in your spine from the awkward position.

“What do you guys want for lunch?” You stretched and cracked your back, wincing as you you stared out the window at the slanted sunlight. You frowned. “Or… dinner. How long did I sleep?”

“A few hours,” Connor said, tilting his head. “You seemed tired and we didn’t want to wake you.”

“Oh.” Your cheeks warmed uncomfortably. You were supposed to be taking care of them, not the other way around. “We can stop for something to eat then—“

“We can’t stop.”

Nines voice cut through yours, short and tense in a way that was unlike him. When your looked at him, you realized the tablet attached to the dashboard was on, muted but on a 24-hour news channel.

“What?” you asked. “Why not?”

“Show her.”

Connor leaned forward and tapped his finger on the screen. You’d forgotten he said something about stealing smartphones belonging to the techs to use them, and he definitely seemed comfortable using technology.

He sat back but stayed close, his knee pressed against yours. The news segment played, unmuted now.

_“Today in what can only be described as an egregious theft, two Ceta sapiens were stolen from the research facility known as MarineLife. It’s suspected that this woman, an employer of the company, is responsible for the missing creatures.”_

You stared at the blond newscaster as she read your name aloud, and when they showed your employee pictures on the screen, the car slightly spun around you.

_“If you have any information of the whereabouts of this woman, contact the proper authorities immediately. Do not approach the suspect as these animals are dangerous and highly aggressive.”_

“They know what my car looks like,” you said once the news clip ended. “The police will have my registration. We have to ditch the car. Find a new one. Steal one, or, or something.”

Connor said your name, but you barely heard it.

“I should have thought of this. I should have anticipated—“

“It won’t be a problem for now,” Nines said, effectively cutting you off again. “I have been using your GPS to keep us on rural farm roads. No one should stop us.”

“What if they do?” you asked faintly. You didn’t miss the way Nines gripped the steering wheel tighter.

“We will make it to our destination. I won’t allow anyone to get in our way.”

You shivered and wrapped your arms in front of your stomach. The warmth of Connor beside you wasn’t enough to ward off the cold feeling of dread tucked along your spine.

Since going into cities with your car and showing your face was out of the question, so was NYC. You’d planned to drive them to the beaches and let them go there, directly into the ocean. Now having to evade authorities, Nines drove the car further north of the city toward the Hudson.

True to his word, you only stopped for bathroom breaks. Aside from sunglasses you didn’t have anything to hide your face, so you were careful to avoid cameras, even as Connor assured you they were interrupting the feeds with echolocation bursts.

At least ten hours from when you’d left the motel that morning, you finally arrived at your destination, a mystery to you since Nines wouldn’t say where you was going. Between him and Connor, they’d completely taken over the journey and you didn’t have much say in the matter. You’d convinced Nines at one point to let you drive, and after a couple of hours of magnifying leg pain, you gave up and let them handle maneuvering the backroads of New York.

You should have been impatient to get them to freedom, but you couldn’t help but be relieved, if not a little confused, when Nines turned down another backroad deeper into the maple and birch forest.

You narrowed your eyes at the road but couldn’t read the sign you passed in the darkening twilight.

“Where are we going?”

In the rearview mirror you watched as Nines’ eyes flickered to Connor’s in that way of silent communication. As if to prove your suspicions, Connor turned to you and answered in place of his brother.

“Someplace safe where we won’t be seen for the night.”

Racking your brain, you tried to think but couldn’t think of any places in the area that would fit that description. It wasn’t until the car passed other parked vehicles, some of them trailers and campers, that it finally clicked.

“Oh.” You rubbed your aching knees. “I don’t have any camping equipment. Just some blankets, and it’s going to get chilly.”

“We will make due,” Nines said in his usual dismissive manner.

You didn’t know if he meant to come across as so cold, but it didn’t stop you from leaning back in your seat and crossing your arms, pointedly looking out the window. You were growing self-conscious, even anxious over what had happened the night before. Neither brother had mentioned it, when it had filled your thoughts for most of the day.

Connor gently nudged you with his elbow. He’d been beside you the entire time, either in the backseat with you or in the front seat as you’d driven. Practically connected at the hip all day, even he hadn’t mentioned anything about last night, and the tension in your stomach wound tighter. A taut bowstring about to fire or snap in half.

So it was no surprise when Connor touched you, you flinched hard in your seat. His brown eyes went rounder and he moved closer.

“Are you okay?”

“Fine.” You gave him a quick upturn of your lips. “Just tired.”

Connor’s brow sharpened as he studied you closer. You tried not to squirm in your seat. The bumpiness of the dirt road, if it could be called that at this point, helped cover the movement.

Nines turned the car into the forest and carefully maneuvered the vehicle through the trees until he came to the edge of a clearing. He put the car into park and turned off the ignition.

The sudden silence, without the sound of the engine or traffic or city noises, was an uncomfortable pressure on your ear drums.

Desperately needing to fill the dead air, you asked, “Are you sure you two don’t want to leave tonight?”

Connor slightly tilted his head but Nines’ shoulders stiffened from where you could see them under the headrest.

“The Hudson isn’t far,” you continued, forcing yourself to sound neutral, as if each word didn’t hurt somewhere in your chest. “We could be there in less than an hour, and you could follow it out to the sea. You could… go home.”

Connor shifted in his seat and slightly leaned forward, brows so sharp there was a crease between them.

“What about you?” His eyes searched yours, his teeth worrying the inside of his cheek. “They’ll catch you. Punish you for helping us.”

“I’ll be fine.”

It was almost funny how your lies had changed. You were the one without hope now. Trapped in a pool of water with no way out. But the lie was as necessary now as it had been then in order to protect the twins.

“Don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself.”

Connor opened his mouth but Nines cut him off.

“You want us to leave, then?”

You were completely taken aback by his hostile tone.

“What? No. Of course not. Nines—“

He was already moving, shoving the door open and shutting it hard behind him. You quickly lost sight of him in the dim tree line.

Your mouth hung partway open, at a loss of what to say.

“He’s scared.”

Connor’s words were delicate and his eyes soft, moving from where his brother had disappeared and down to your face.

“He’s afraid to lose you. We both are. We know it’s unavoidable if we go back home.”

 _“If?”_ Your voice rose slightly, your chest tightening. “There is no _if_. You-you have to go back home. There’s no other option. You can’t—“

Connor reached out and took your hand from your lap, twining it between his, leaving you warm and without a voice.

“Maybe… we could find a way to work.” His words were slow and careful but his expression was one of lingering hope. “We can survive on land so long as we’re hydrated frequently. With our abilities we could easily disrupt ATMs and cameras, so money and moving around won’t be an issue. The Canadian border isn’t far, and we—“

His words had sped up, the excitement in his voice building, and it hurt you to have to cut them down.

“Connor, you can’t.” You squeezed his hand tight, pleading with him to understand and not make this difficult. “You and Nines have to go home. You don’t belong in this world. Why would you even want to stay when it’s been nothing but cruel to you?”

He tilted his head and angled his brows upwards.

“Because you’re in it.”

Your mouth opened but no words came out, and you were left like that, gaping stupidly at him.

Connor leaned closer, a gentle tug teasing his lips.

“Did you really think we would leave you behind? Let the humans lock you away after you risked your life to save us?” His expression folded into something slightly pained. “Nines hasn’t told you, has he? What they were going to do to him after I was sent to the breeding facility.”

You shook your head, mouth too dry to speak as your gut twisted. You hadn’t actually thought about it, but knowing your employers, it couldn’t be anything good.

“They were going to kill him.”

A darkness passed over Connor’s face, one that was rare to see but genuinely frightening.

“‘Destroy him,’ is the phrase they used. Afterwards, they planned to take him apart. Disassemble him to learn more about our species.”

Connor searched your face. “Do you understand, now? We owe you our lives. The both of us.”

“You don’t owe me anything.” Your words had to fight past the lump in your throat; your grip on his fingers must have been painfully tight. “This isn’t about _me_.”

Connor raised his other hand to tangle his fingers in your hair and leaned forward as if to kiss you. Instead, he leaned his forehead against yours as his hand cradled the back of your neck.

Somehow it felt more intimate than a kiss, sharing the same breathing space with him and feeling the heat radiating off his skin through his clothing. A tremble rippled down your spine when Connor sighed and you felt the puff of air against your lips.

“We’re not abandoning you.” The smile tugged at his lips again. “Especially Nines.”

You frowned at the very confusing statement. If anything, you felt like the tension between you and Nines had gotten worse since last night, and you couldn’t understand why.

Connor caught sight of your frown and raised a brow. “You’re important to him. Have been since we first met you. You… treated him like a living being. No one else at that place did. You even gave him a name.”

You remembered it all too well. On the official research documents, the twins were labeled as RK800 and RK900, and they’d never bothered to give Nines a name. Dr. Stern had given Connor his name, and you’d found out why the other brother had been left as ‘RK900’ late one night while you were cleaning the offices.

Dr. Kamski was tucked away in his office also working overtime, but there was an open bottle of whiskey on his desk. It had been obvious he’d had more than a sip, and you imagined that was the only reason why he’d started talking to you.

 _“Do you know why we gave a name to the cute, little one, and not its larger, aggressive sibling?”_ He’d smiled with the same warmth as a shark. _“Temperament. Everyone loves Connor, or as much as one can love a wild animal. But its twin, that hulking beast… well… there’s only so much you can do with a vicious creature like that.”_

Dr. Kamski had leaned in uncomfortably close, smiling in a way that didn’t meet his eyes, and said, _“You name the family pet. You don’t name the livestock.”_

You hadn’t known exactly what he’d meant at the time, but knowing now what they’d had planned for Connor and Nines, it made you sick down to your bones. You wanted to hide your face from Connor, at the gentle look he was giving you. It was undeserved.

“Yeah,” you grumbled. “I named him like a pet.”

“He didn’t see it that way. Still doesn’t.” Connor’s thumb rubbed across the back of your knuckles as if to soothe you.

“Aside from me, you were the only other person who’s ever been kind to him,” he added, a teasing edge to his voice. “I know you care about him too.”

“Of course I do,” you said, it wasn’t even a question. “That’s not… not the issue, Connor. I don't want you two to be caught because of me. It’s not worth it.”

Connor slightly lowered his head, giving you a piercing stare that turned his brown eyes into dark stones.

“I think that’s for us to decide.”

Connor leaned forward and pressed his lips against your forehead. Unable to resist or deny him anything, you closed your eyes and basked in the warmth, leaning into the touch. Already your internal walls were breaking down and you wanted to tell him _yes_ , you would stay with them no matter what.

But you couldn’t make that promise, not when it put their lives at risk.

“Just think about it, okay?” Connor’s smile was so faint it almost wasn’t there, though the sadness was. As if he knew the thoughts running through your mind as there wasn’t anything he could say to stop them. “There’s still time.”

Pulling away from you, Connor opened the door and got out of the car, leaving you cold and alone.

A glimpse of your life without the RK twins in it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I'm sorry for my brother's behavior but he's a tsundere, you see."


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lightning strikes twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to filth fest (feast?) part deux. I am here to deliver the sandwich.
> 
> Chapter warnings: Explicit sex, threesomes, technically incest, enthusiastic consent
> 
> Note: I've gotten a couple questions about this, so I wanted to explain that I tagged the fic as incest for safety reasons. It's not a judgement. I wanted to make sure I didn't unintentionally hurt anyone reading my story. Thank you, love y'all.

It was a simple matter to put down the backseat of your hatchback and create a sleeping space with the blankets you kept in the car. Like Nines had said, you made due with what you had, though it was a cramped with three people inside and it was impossible to lie on your back.

Which was an issue, seeing as Connor was now spooning you from behind, an arm slung around your waist and his breath warm on the back of your neck. By the fact he was trying to keep his hips away from your ass, you could guess this sleeping arrangement was affecting him as much as you.

Nines, on the other hand, had his back to you with no part of his body touching yours, just like the first night. Somehow, you’d managed to lose all the progress you’d made with him, the closeness you’d experienced in the motel pool was just a fading dream.

The pit in your stomach and your harried thoughts kept you from sleep. You tried to focus on the constant pinging of rain on the metal roof, a sound that should have been relaxing. It had been lucky; you weren’t near any streams or rivers, and the twins had begun to dehydrate again.

Watching them strip off their shirts and stand in the pouring rain, faces turned upward to the sky, had been quite _something_. They said it wasn’t enough water to force their fins to transform, but it still had a strange effect on their skin, making it almost glittery and shiny.

If you hadn’t been in love with them already, this would have been the moment it happened. As it was, you’d already fallen, and now you didn’t know what to do with it.

Pushing it aside as a problem for tomorrow-you, you stared at the broad expanse of Nines’ bare back. The brothers had managed to soak their clothes and had stripped to their underwear for sleep again. Necessary but distracting, especially when Connor had tangled his legs between yours and tried to get as close as possible without letting his erection touch you.

This was getting _ridiculous._

With painstaking carefulness, as if you were about to wake a sleeping lion, you placed the tips of your fingers against Nines’ back. The muscles there were hard and stuff and trembled slightly at your touch.

You waited a moment to see if he would shake you off or snap. When he didn’t, you flattened your hand, pressing the palm against his warm skin. Another small tremble went through him, but otherwise no response. He was definitely awake but still effectively giving you the cold shoulder.

You slowly rubbed your hand down the curve of his spine, pressing your fingertips down slightly harder as you worked your way over his stiff back muscles.

Connor, who must have been aware of what you were doing, moved a little, and you felt the warmth of lips tracing along the outline of the bandage on your right shoulder: the same shoulder he’d bitten earlier.

It was almost enough to drive you to distraction, but you were on a mission and had every intention of carrying it out. Slipping your arm under Nines’, you slotted your entire body against his back and pressed your nose against his neck.

Connor went with you, tangling his legs with Nines now as well as yours, his lips parting into open-mouthed kisses against your shoulder.

Nines shuddered and you felt it across every point of physical contact. He was still silent while you couldn’t stop the moan that bubbled out of your chest as Connor finally pressed his strained erection against your ass.

 _“Nines,”_ you breathed out as you ran your hand down his chest, continuing down along the flat planes of his stomach.

His breathing quickened, heaving under your hand and against your chest, and he broke his silent streak when you palmed his hard cock through his underwear. Nines growled, actually _growled_ , and immediately flipped over to face you.

Before you could react, Nines grabbed the back of your knee and yanked your leg over his hips, pressing his hard length against you.

The startled noise you made was swallowed by his mouth, demanding lips and tongue prying for entry as he trapped you between him and Connor, giving you no room or choice in the matter.

You groaned into the sloppy kiss, arching your back and squeezing your leg, rubbing yourself against Nines as Connor ground against your ass.

The friction alone would have been enough to get you off, but apparently they had other plans. Nines rolled onto his back, pulling you along with him until you were firmly straddling his hips. He yanked your shirt over your head while a second pair of hands manhandled you to pull off your sleeping shorts and underwear.

You shivered, exposed to the air, and soon you were trembling as Nines’ hands roved over your body, long fingers mapping out every inch of your skin he could reach.

Connor leaned against your back, kneeling behind you as he straddled Nines’ thighs, his cock was pressed against your ass.

You were beyond words or thoughts now, just a plaything for them to do with what they wanted. And what Nines wanted was very clear; he grabbed your hips and pulled you down into his lap, right against the naked length of his cock.

Even without the knot and the soft ridges, he was still _big_ , and you didn’t know how you were going to take him in even if you’d done it before.

Nines must have interpreted the anxiety on your face correctly, because his eyes went half-lidded and he said, “Connor?”

“Got it.”

You didn’t understand until Nines lifted your hips and another pair of fingers slipped between your wet, sensitive folds.

You bucked hard and squirmed at the unexpected touch, a whine trapped in your throat, but Nines held your hips firmly as Connor continued to stroke and caress your slick heat. Then he pressed his fingers inside, opened you up with one, and then two, long fingers.

 _“C-Connor,”_ you gasped, burying your face into Nines’ neck as you held onto his broad shoulders for dear life. But Nines held your ass in the air, presenting you to Connor like a fuck toy for their pleasure.

Connor hummed deep in his throat as he began to fuck you on his fingers, methodically ruining you as his brother held you in place. The squelching sound of how wet you were, magnified in the small space of the car, made you whimper and hide your face further against Nines’ throat.

It wasn’t long before the pressure in your pelvis began to build, and when Connor curled his fingers forward and rubbed against the sensitive spot of your inner wall, you were gone. Choking back a cry, you rutted against Connor’s hand, shameless and wanting more even as you started to come down from your high.

He pulled out too soon, leaving you empty and desperate, and Nines didn’t give you any time to recuperate before he brought you back down against the length of his cock again.

Refusing to wait, you immediately ground against him, nipping and kissing against his collarbone, unable to get enough of the salty taste of his skin.

He gave another growl, this one sharper and clearly frustrated, and he grabbed you by the back of the thighs, lifted you up, and lifted his hips prod the head of his cock against your entrance.

You were dripping wet and eager, and with one deep thrust Nines seated himself all the way inside you.

Clutching onto him tightly, you cried out raggedly; even with Connor loosening you up, Nines was still too big, and the stretch burned in a way that left you whimpering and shaking.

Nines stroked your sides with surprising gentleness while Connor placed light kisses between your shoulder blades. You were content to lie like that, trying to adjust to the larger brother’s girth while they both left touches and kisses all over your skin.

But there was another sensation, and you nearly jumped out of your skin when Connor’s slick fingers slid between your cheeks and teased your hole.

“Conn-nor,” you stuttered as he slowly began to press inside. “W-what…”

“It’s all right,” Connor assured, pressing his lips to the back of your neck. “We want to make you feel good.”

Connor’s raspy voice saying those words as he slid his first finger inside, combined with the uncomfortable fullness of Nines inside you, was almost too much. Tears prickled your eyes as you nodded, pressing your forehead against Nines’ jaw as if to steady yourself.

“Breathe,” Nines said, finally speaking, his words a deep rumble in his chest. “Breathe with me.”

You could do that. Concentrating on the rising chest underneath you, you followed his pattern of breathing, though yours stuttered frequently as you sometimes twitched around his cock. He remained silent through this, the only betrayal that he was affected were his fingers pressing deeper into your skin.

When Connor added a second finger, you bit your lip and gave a small, pathetic whimper.

“Don’t s-stop,” you choked when Connor’s movements halted. “Don’t… don’t stop.”

Encouraged, Connor began to slowly move in and out of you, creating a burning stretch that was an echo of the way Nines had you spread open. It felt strange, different to what you were used to, but you decided you liked it. Or maybe you liked the fact Connor was doing it.

Either way, it left you unable to sit still. Connor now had three fingers working you open and Nines had to tighten his grip; you were trying to grind down on his cock and Connor’s fingers at the same time. They were going to be the death of you if they didn’t hurry up and _fuck you already._

 _“Please,”_ you begged in a strangled, thin voice. “Please, f-fuck. Connor. Nines. _I can’t—“_

Connor pulled out his fingers and you nearly sobbed, frustration curling your spine as you tried to find the friction you needed against Nines’ cock.

The larger brother growled and smacked you across the ass. You choked in surprise, your pelvic muscles tightening automatically at the abrupt slap, and Nines made a strangled noise. One you made it your life mission to hear again.

Clamping down on him again, Nines tilted his head back, squeezing your ass hard as he groaned out a, _“Fuck.”_

Before you could do it again, because you definitely were, your hips were slightly lifted, sliding you an inch or two off of Nines’ cock.

Your noise of protest transformed into a breathless moan as the head of Connor’s cock pressed against your hole, slick with either his precum, your slick, or most likely both.

You scrabbled against Nines’ shoulders, wanting to simultaneously pull away from the sudden, unbearable pressure while also wanting to open up to it.

Nines knew exactly how to distract you; he released his grip on your hips, quickly replaced by Connor’s hands, and cradled your face as he kissed you.

Automatically opening your lips to grant him entrance, his tongue licked inside your mouth, dominating you as Connor did the same from behind. Connor’s grip on your hips was almost painful, but it was a faint shadow in comparison to being stretched by both brothers at the same time.

Connor was very slow and careful, but there were still several moments where you nearly cried for them to stop, the overwhelming sensation almost too much to bear.

Just when you thought you couldn’t take anymore, Connor bottomed out inside you with a groan, panting against your skin as he planted sloppy, open-mouthed kisses on the back of your neck.

Your thighs were trembling from the strain of holding yourself up, so Nines gently guided you the rest of the way down onto his cock. You groaned pitifully as you were effectively sandwiched between them.

Stuffed so full you could barely take in air, you were sure you’d pass out as soon as they started moving. Even with their more reasonably-sized human cocks, it was still far too much for anyone to handle and survive.

So of course you whimpered, _“F…fuck… me… pl…please…”_

Thank God they didn’t ask if you were sure, because you were already hanging on by an exposed thread, and the first careful thrust by both of them left you whimpering like you were dying in the most wonderful way.

You eventually adjusted, inch by tormenting inch, and the painful pressure settled into a smoldering fire. Shuddering hard, you could feel your arousal dripping out of you, coating Nines’ pelvis with your slick.

Barely able to move, impaled on both of them, you were completely helpless to the quickening of their pace. You continued to cling to Nines, unable to do anything but moan as he licked, sucked, and nipped at your collarbone.

Connor also took full advantage of your helpless state, gripping your hips with bruising force as he spoke into your ear, voice hoarse and raspy.

“You’re so… so good for us… Taking both of us… like this.”

You whined at the praise, lips parted as you panted for breath, sweat dripping down your temples. Their skin was burning hot and you were a fire between them. The car windows were all fogged up at this point, obscuring the outside world with opaque glass.

Nines’ hands, previously gripping your thighs, travelled up your stomach until he was kneading your chest, his smooth fingers rubbing the stiff, oversensitive nipples. Your hips twitched, forced out of rhythm with theirs as you squirmed from the overstimulation.

An impish half-smile bloomed on his face as Nines leaned upward, forcing your spine to arch as he tongued and mouthed one nipple while rubbing the other.

 _“Nnnph!”_ You gripped his hair tightly, fingers digging into his scalp, a strangled whimper leaving you as your walls started to tighten around him. Around them both.

Connor’s hips stuttered and the noisy gasp he made was practically pornographic. Nines grunted and pulled back, granting you a small amount of mercy as he licked a strip up your neck.

At least, that’s what you thought, and you realized your error when you felt his hand delve between your legs.

He pressed his thumb to your clit, cutting off your air one moment and the next you were grasping him like a lifeline, sobbing as the pressure in your gut crested and burst.

You cried their names weakly, breath stolen as wave after wave slammed you down, drowning you under the lights bursting behind your eyelids.

Distantly, you were aware they had both stopped moving, a twin echoing throb inside as they completely filled you, enough that it was already starting to leak out of you.

With a trembling groan, you collapsed on Nines’ chest and struggled to catch your breath. You still lightly throbbed around them, each pulse bringing a new shudder to your body.

Connor held your hips carefully and pulled out first, and you groaned at his cum gushed out, feeling as if it was burning your tenderized skin.

Nines pulled out just as carefully, and the dripping cum didn’t burn as much, but it did make you feel twice as filthy. You must have looked like an absolute wreck, your hair messy and your face flushed, but the expression on Nines’ face was incredibly tender and his touch was gentle as he wiped the sweaty hair from your forehead.

His hands around your waist, Connor helped you back down onto the blankets, and then immediately dragged his tongue across your cheek as if to clean you.

“Connor,” you weakly laughed as he nuzzled the side of your face. “I taste nasty right now.”

You were drenched in sweat, probably smelled rank, while the both of them were smooth and dry and smelled slightly salty but clean.

Or they would have, if the overpowering scent of musky sex wasn’t currently filling the car. You were definitely going to have to air it out before trying to sleep again.

“Never,” he said, following up with another lick to the corner of your mouth. “I love the way you taste.”

You opened your mouth to argue and Connor took advantage by slipping his tongue inside, licking into your mouth and sending a wave of heat through your body.

“Hold-hold that thought.” You pulled away from Connor before he could completely distract you with his mouth, and leaned up to open the hatchback door.

The forest air was an immediately relief, and you collapsed back between them. You were going to roll onto your side to give them space but were prevented from doing so as both brothers tangled themselves around you.

Nines draped an arm across your stomach as he propped his chin on the crown of your head, while Connor settled his cheek on your shoulder as his arm wrapped around your chest.

Closing your eyes and sighing, deeply contented, you were more than ready to fall asleep just like that. Drying cum between your legs and all.

Except… you couldn’t sleep. Not yet.

After you gathered your courage and nerves, you finally spoke.

“I want to stay with you.”

Nines stopped breathing and Connor looked up at you, hope rounding his brown eyes.

“If… if you still want to give it a try, I mean,” you said quickly, not wanting to pressure them _or_ make them think you’d only agreed because of sex. “It won’t be easy. It’ll be dangerous for the both of you. Not just because you could be caught, but we’d have to find you a reliable, private source of water. We would have to start completely new lives.”

They were both silent. You’d expected them to interrupt you, argue with you, but they hadn’t and now you were left doubting yourself. Had they gotten the wrong idea? Did they think you would use them, like the people at MarineLife wanted to use them? Did they—

“We would all be together,” Connor finally said, his voice soft bur assured. “That’s what’s important.”

“Is this what you really want?” Nines asked, tone low and heavy. You turned your head toward him, unable to meet his eye so you gently pressed your face into his neck instead.

“Yes. I do. More than anything.”

Nines relaxed and seemed to finally breathe again, and Connor held you even tighter. You turned toward him and pressed your lips against his forehead.

“We will… discuss the logistics in the morning.” Nines sounded unsteady, something very new coming from him. “In the meantime, you need sleep.”

Connor hummed in his throat, giving your neck one last tiny lick before he nestled against you.

Safely tucked within their arms, and just exhausted enough to take Nines’ advice, you closed your eyes and released a heavy breath you felt you’d been holding in your entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you wish to believe they move up to Canada and nothing bad ever happens, I recommend stopping here. There's nothing wrong with that and I won't judge you.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I worried some folks with that last note so let me clarify that there *will* be a happy ending. But this chapter is rough. Like real rough. I'm very sorry. But we only have this and the next chapter so at least your pain will be brief before the end? :)))
> 
> Chapter warnings: Violence, misogynistic language, blood, gore, death

You only got a few hours of sleep before you were on the road again, the sun not yet peaking up over the horizon. The plan was to make it well into Canada by the end of the day. Crossing the border would involve a lot of swimming and leaving your car behind.

You would miss it, and you’d have to find a way to let your family know you were okay before disappearing, but you’d be lying if you said you weren’t eager to start your new life with the two people who had changed it so completely.

After digging through your car supply kit to find some meal bars to snack on, you listened to Connor talk excitedly about your future plans.

The future, a funny thing. For the first time in your life, you weren’t dreading the uncertain path before you, and that more than anything told you this was what you were meant to do.

You were both in the backseat, Nines having to drive again as your legs were an aching mess from the _activities_ of the night before. You didn’t regret it but your body was sure complaining now. It wasn’t just your legs that hurt, almost every muscle in your body was aching, and a part of you wondered how you’d ever keep up with their stamina.

You were looking forward to finding out.

“And then, perhaps we can purchase some kind of boat,” Connor continued on, eyes bright as he continued to chatter. “If our pod still swims the same waters, we should be able to find them. We have another brother, you know.”

“Really?” you asked. The small smile on your lips hadn’t disappeared since he’d started talking.

“We’re a set of triplets,” he added with a pleased blush. “Our third brother was more cautious than we were. Said not to go near the fishing boats, but… we didn’t listen.”

His face fell, and as naturally as breathing air you reached across to take his hand in his lap. Recalling when he and Nines had been captured was clearly a painful memory.

Connor immediately perked at the touch, wrapping his long fingers around yours.

“What’s his name?”

“Oh, you wouldn’t be able to say it,” Connor said, tilting his head as his smile also went lopsided.

“Humans lack the vocal range to speak our language,” Nines chimed in from the driver’s seat.

When you turned to face him, you could see the headlights illuminating a bridge spanning a river, the sun only now lighting the sky. He had to slow down because it was only two lanes and was made of little more than wood and metal.

Nines himself seemed at ease, the first time you’d ever seen him that way. Ever since last night, he was freer with giving affection and less stiff and aloof. Something had changed within him, but perhaps the same could be said of all three of you.

“And if we tried to speak it above water,” Nines continued, “all we would accomplish would be shattering your car windows.”

You looked to Connor just to be sure Nines wasn’t teasing you again. That’s when you saw the bright stripe of light across his face; his eyes narrowed against the glare of the headlights behind your car.

They grew brighter, increasing in intensity until the white light filled the car.

“What—“

Glass imploded from the rear windshield as you were thrown forward against your seatbelt. Screeching metal and churning tires deafened as the vehicle behind rammed the hatchback door a second time.

_“Nines!”_

You didn’t know what you were yelling for him to do. There was nothing _to_ do. The tires skidded across wet pavement as your car began to jackknife, pushed from the other larger vehicle toward the bridge railing.

Connor threw his arms around you and braced for the impact.

Everything was a blur after the trailing vehicle hit a third time. Deafening crunches of rubber and metal, the dizzying, floating feeling as the car fell several feet, landed, and rolled down the embankment toward the river.

The agony of each impact, the terror of being so completely helpless as the car rolled again and again. You couldn’t think or move besides clinging to Connor as shattered glass rained down on both of you.

When the world stopped spinning, you could barely breathe. The inside of the car was slowly filling with smoke, and the seatbelt cut across your chest as you hung limp from your seat.

You tried to raise your dangling arms to feel for your restraint. Couldn’t lift your arms high enough. Your limbs and muscles wouldn’t cooperate and you couldn’t even focus your eyes enough to understand the chaos around you.

You heard confused voices, the sound of creaking metal, and then hands were unbuckling you from your seat and carefully pulling you from the car. Those same hands held you against a broad chest, and you pressed against it weakly.

“Is she all right?” one of the voices said, soft and hushed. Cold raindrops splattered against your face and you let out a weak groan.

“Yes. Just dazed,” the second one, deeper and flatter, responded.

There was something you had to tell them. Something very important.

The car… it hadn’t been a car… It was a truck. Ford F-150. White. Michigan plates.

_“…Con…”_

“I’m here.”

You tried to speak but you erupted into violent coughing, the lingering acrid smoke in the air irritating your throat. Nines carried you further away from the car crash, but you couldn’t tell where you were. It was still too dark to see past the broken headlights of your own car.

Where was it? Where was the _truck?_

You had to tell them—

“Stop struggling!” Nines growled when you thrashed in his arms, your coughing fit growing worse. “You’re going to hurt yourself!”

“I think she wants you to put her down,” Connor said, dark eyes wide as he took in the state of your struggling.

That wasn’t what you wanted, and when Nines lowered your feet to the ground, you clung to his shoulders with the desperation of a drowner.

 _“He’s…”_ You coughed again, gagged at the irritation crawling up your throat. _“He’s… here… Run…”_

Nines frowned. “Who’s here?”

White headlights blazed against the three of you from the dark, lighting up the service road where your car had finally come to a stop rolling down the embankment.

Nines and Connor flinched and tried to shield their eyes with their hands, but you stared past Nines’ arm, recognizing the row of floodlights on top of the cabin of the truck.

Only one bastard drove a monstrosity like that.

“Looky here.”

Boots crunched over wet rocks and gravel as a hated and familiar silhouette cut against the glittering rain dancing before the lights.

“Fish-girl and her two slimy pets.”

Nines spun, baring his teeth in a snarl as he shoved you behind him.

The report of a gun and the flash from a muzzle immediately followed. Nines staggered back against you.

You tried to hold him up, not understanding—

Gavin fired the gun again, and Nines crumpled to the ground.

You stared at the figure at your feet, rooted to the spot, but not Connor. With an inhuman cry, he bolted toward Gavin, and was rewarded with a bullet shot through his thigh and upper chest.

Watching Connor collapse into a heap at Gavin’s feet jolted you out of your paralysis. There was no sense to what you did, no planning as you rushed forward on numb legs. All you wanted was to tear your nails through Gavin’s eyes and make him suffer, make him bleed, make him _scream._

Gavin sidestepped your attack and slung his arm around your neck, effectively pulling you into a headlock against his chest as he held the pistol to the side of your head.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” he said, clearly enjoying himself as he turned so you could see both brothers lying on the ground. “You’re not getting off that easy. You and Flipper.”

He gestured at Connor, his loathsome voice speaking right into your ear.

“It’s worth a small fortune, you know. Shame I had to damage it, but… I didn’t ruin the parts they want, anyway.”

Gavin laughed, a mean sound that made you struggle harder.

Nines lifted his head clumsily, as if he didn’t have the strength to quite do it. You could have sobbed seeing he was still alive, but the blue liquid pooling under his chest was an alarming amount. It mixed with the rain as it came down harder, drenching the world and making it colder.

“Now, Free Willy over there...” Gavin tsked through his teeth. “That fucker’s too dangerous to haul back. A body will do just fine.”

He lifted his service pistol toward Nines.

You immediately bit down on his aiming shoulder, able to wiggle out of his hold for a brief moment of distraction.

The fired shot missed, sparking the ground next to Nines’ head.

_“Fuck!”_

You dug your teeth in even as Gavin cut off your air.

“Son of a bitch!”

He managed to tear you from his arm and toss you to the ground. The shock traveled up your knees and legs, but you ignored it and lunged for Gavin again.

He backhanded you across the face so hard you saw stars behind your eyelids and tasted iron in your mouth. You staggered backward and almost fell, but managed to keep your feet as Gavin descended on you.

_“You filthy, fucking slut!”_

He looked deranged, soaked in the rain and his eyes wide and furious.

“Spread your legs for a couple of fish but wouldn’t give me the time of fucking day! Is that it!”

You cried out and struggled to get away when he reached out and grabbed a fistful of your rain-soaked hair.

“Don’t you fuckin’ worry,” he snarled with a shake of his hand as you felt some of the roots of your hair tear from you scalp. “I’ve got lots of time from here to Detroit to teach you a fuckin’ lesson.”

Finger still clamped onto your hair, Gavin dragged you back toward his truck. You screamed and dug your fingernails into the back of his hand, but it was like he didn’t even feel it. He barely even seemed human.

He’d pulled you halfway to his truck before he shouted, his hand jerked away from your head as he was tackled to the ground.

Connor, bleeding and snarling, bit and tore his nails into Gavin as they rolled on the ground. The gun was knocked from Gavin’s hand and skidded across the gravel.

You dashed for the gun and grabbed it, desperate and shaky, and when you raised it toward them they were both locked in a heated fight. You couldn’t pull the trigger without fear of hitting Connor.

You didn’t know if the water running down your face was rain or tears, your breath hitching in your throat as you screamed. _“Connor, get away from him!”_

Connor looked up, saw the pistol in your hands, and scrambled away from the bleeding, raging man.

You depressed the trigger but Gavin was faster. Lying on his back, he jabbed a hand down to his waistband and pulled something out, pointed it at you, and fired.

The boom was much louder than the service pistol. But you barely heard it, barely heard anything, past the blooming agony in your gut and the sudden lack of strength in your legs.

You collapsed onto your knees, the gun dangling from your fingertips as you struggled to draw breath. Triumph in his eyes, Gavin rose to his feet and aimed the revolver toward your head.

Before he could fire a second time, a figure low to the ground grabbed him around the ankle and bit into his calf.

Gavin screamed and tried to kick Nines away, bringing his revolver around, but Connor grabbed his shoulder and bit deep into the side of Gavin’s neck. With a jerk of his head, he tore out a chunk of flesh, and blood spurted from the wound like a cut hose line.

Neither brother stopped for a moment, snarling and ripping into the man with inhuman ferocity, resembling two wolves tearing apart a grizzly even after it had dealt them lethal blows.

Gavin finally dropped to his knees, no longer screaming, his eyes wide and his face bloodless. The brothers only released him after he tumbled the rest of the way to the ground.

Nines didn’t move, either. Motionless, he looked as lifeless as the body next to him.

Connor didn’t look much better. As he wobbled and staggered over to you, you could see the bullet wounds in his chest and leg. Gavin had miscalculated. Even over the rain you could hear the wet, sucking sound of a perforated lung.

You began to fall forward as he drew near, and he caught you at the last second, gently lowering you the rest of the way to the ground. His hands were gentle even as they were slicked with blood.

Wanting desperately to comfort him but unable to speak, with one hand pressed to the seeping mess of your stomach the other searched for his hand. Connor took it and held it, lying down beside you as he pressed his face against your hair.

The strength sapped from your limbs, the world around you faded to a dull, flat noise. The plinking of the rainwater sounded far away, and farther beyond that, another sound.

It was difficult to hear past the sound of Connor’s breath hissing through his clenched teeth. Your mind was solely trying to focus on that sound, but you pushed past it to another. The faint roaring of water.

Nines’ voice, faint and hollow, echoed to you across your memory.

_Whatever damage is caused will heal in the water…_

Pulling away from Connor, you forced yourself onto one elbow, emitting a strangled whimper as the agony in your gut flamed anew. You pushed past it and rose to your knees.

Connor struggled to keep his wavering gaze on you, his eyes half-lidded and unfocused, before they finally slipped closed.

“C… Connor.”

He didn’t respond, and the last rush of adrenaline gave you the strength to grab and tug his arm.

“You have to… get up…”

Connor didn’t respond verbally, but when you put his arm over your shoulder and tried to pull him onto his knees, he managed to cooperate, barely conscious as he was.

Somehow, through the waves of agony coming from your abdomen, you struggled to your feet along with Connor. He wavered as you pulled him forward but you didn’t have any more strength than he did, and you leaned against each other and staggered like two drunks out of a bar.

When you approached the spot where Nines was lying, Connor whined and reached for him.

You kept pulling him forward. Even as your heart was ripped to shreds, especially when Connor continued to whimper as you left his brother behind. You couldn’t stop. If you lost your momentum now, you’d never get Connor to the water.

You didn’t want to think about how it might be too late for Nines. How getting Connor to safety was what he would have wanted. You couldn’t think about any of that. Not while Connor still needed you.

Reaching the bottom of the short embankment to the shoreline, you didn’t fight gravity as you and Connor collapsed onto the sand. He understood what you were doing now, and he crawled the last few inches to the water.

Not wanting him to drown by submerging his head or the gunshot wound to his chest, you helped roll him legs first into the water. The sleek, grey tail rippled down his legs, bursting through his shoes and leaving his pants in tatters.

Connor didn’t move after that, lying on his back as he struggled to breathe, and you wanted to stay just in case…

But the edges of your vision were starting to darken. You didn’t have much time left.

You didn’t bother to try to stand up again; you crawled back to where Nines lay, stopping halfway to wretch and gag, the iron taste lingering in your mouth. You pushed on, your entire world honed in on the figure on the ground, ignoring your torn and bleeding elbows and knees. What were a few more wounds.

By the time you reached him, your breath was uneven and hitching, your abdomen numb and your limbs shivering with cold. You were going to go into shock soon, or had already started, you didn’t know.

For this, you would have to stand up again, and you did it through sheer, panicked desperation. There was nothing outside of that moment except you grabbing Nines’ wrist as tightly as you could as you pulled him back toward the water.

It wasn’t far from where he’d collapsed, only a few feet, but each inch might have been a mile and each footstep the climb up a mountain. You dragged him, your shallow breaths now weak sobs, your chest hurting more than your gunshot wound.

You couldn’t think. Couldn’t look past the next step. There was only the weight you pulled behind and the glimmer of rushing water ahead.

You fell to your knees for the last time. Removed your hand from the gut wound so your bloody, shaky fingers could roll Nines the rest of the way into the water. You miscalculated the heavy weight of his body and how fast the river was actually moving, and when the waves grabbed at him and pulled him away, you cried out and reached for him.

Nines disappeared beneath the churning, grey water. All you could do was helplessly watch from where you’d fallen onto your stomach, finger trailing in the water as the last of your strength vanished. The water lapped at your fingers, cleaning them of the dark, purple liquid covering them. A mixture of red and blue.

Letting your eyes drift shut, you let the knowledge that the brothers would never again be caged act as your sole comfort as you surrendered to the cold and the darkness.

Your dying mind clung to one last memory. Something you’d felt many times before and had always brought solace on the bad days. You wanted to feel it again so desperately that you imagined you could actually _feel_ it. The sensation of long, slender fingers wrapping around your wrist and gently pulling you into the water.

And to that too, you surrendered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *writes an apology letter to each of her readers, Connor, Nines, and Gavin*


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Every end is just a new beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going to get all the notes out of the way now so you can focus on this last chapter without me yapping on and on.
> 
> Big thank you to Hank's House for all your support and love. And thank you to everyone who commented on this strange little AU I didn't think anyone would read. You're all so wonderful. I'm sorry for that last chapter and hope this will be a satisfying conclusion to their story.
> 
> As a last treat: this is what I consider to be their [love song.](https://youtu.be/g4R9vIEZtMM)
> 
> Now including amazing fan art by SenselessEris [here](https://senselesseris.tumblr.com/post/627207672639488000/wolveria-a-gift-for-gracing-us-with-this-mermaid)
> 
> More awesome fan art by Fafnishjarta [here](https://fafnishjarta.tumblr.com/post/631138170370752513/fan-art-of-unable-to-perceive-the-shape-of-you)

There was nothing in the bitterly cold darkness. Just a sea of inky black where you were lost and unable to remember.

There was something important you had to recall... but you were very, very tired. Hadn’t you struggled on for long enough? Wouldn’t it have been easier just to sleep and forget the events that were already slipping from your mind?

You might have surrendered to the nothingness, but the frozen sea around you was illuminated with a soft glow. The light increased, shining brighter, blue and luminous from two pairs of hands, touching you with a tenderness that was achingly familiar. It called you back, pulled you away from the edge of nothing.

That’s when the burning started. Igniting you from the inside out, molten liquid in your veins as unbearably agony dug into your stomach.

You tried to scream, but you had no voice. No air. There was nothing you could do but suffer, because there was no enduring this.

When you thought you couldn’t withstand the molten fire under your skin, you did. The heat moved from your chest and stomach down to your legs. The agony worsened beyond anything you imagined was even possible.

The hands were still cradling you with gentle firmness as if trying to comfort, but you knew this had to be Hell. Punished for some terrible deed you could almost remember.

What had you done to deserve this?

_I failed them._

With a shuddering gasp, you opened your eyes. Clear, bright sunlight caused you to blink rapidly, your heaving chest taking in the salty air. It was cold against your heated skin.

Everything around you was the exact opposite of the damnation you’d expected to find. Shimmering blue water expanded out before you as far as the eye could see, lazy seagulls wheeling overhead against the cloudless sky.

Barely able to move, your limbs uncooperative and heavy, you turned your head and saw you were lying on a sandbar, barely crested above the waterline. You were propped up against something warm and alive.

Your heart leapt in your chest as adrenaline surged through your body. Everything was too much. Too loud and too bright, and there was an animal panic rising to the surface you couldn’t control.

Someone spoke a name, you thought it might be yours, and a hand reached toward you.

Snarling, you bit down on the pale, muscled forearm. Warm, blue fluid filled your mouth; you almost let go but you were too terrified to do anything but latch on tighter.

Words were shouted in a panic. Your brain was slow to catch onto them, struggling to form them into something you could understand.

_“Nines!”_

“I’m fine, Connor.”

The voices spoke above you. Again, you felt that sense of familiarity, but you also noted the deeper timber of their words. They were larger than you, bigger and stronger. You ground your teeth down harder, trembling and growling in your throat.

“Don’t move,” the second voice spoke again. “Give her space. She feels threatened.”

It took you a moment to process that they were talking about you. There was an undertone of concern there. As if…

…they knew you.

You squeezed your eyes shut.

_The lab… driving in the car… the motel pool…_

Your jaw went lax.

_The campsite… the bridge… the river. Gunshots ripping you open. Nines unmoving on the ground. Connor, in agony, but still trying to comfort you in your last moments._

Releasing your hold on Nines’ arm, you finally lifted your head.

Connor stared down at you from where he was kneeling on the sand, hands curled into fists on his thighs and his face pale. You’d never seen him look so worried before, as if he wanted to reach out but held himself back.

You tilted your chin up to realize your head was resting on Nines’ crossed legs. They were both naked and without their tails, and you saw pale star-shaped scars on their skin. Two on Nines’ torso, one each on Connor’s chest and thigh.

The gunshot wounds. They had healed through them. _They were alive._ Impossibly, incredibly alive. And somehow, so were you.

_“H…How…”_

Your voice was hoarse and abused, barely sounding like you at all. You tried to sit up but Connor placed a hand on your bare shoulder. You, too, were naked, and you should have been freezing in the chilly water and morning air. Why weren’t you cold? Instead, you felt almost... warm. As if the earlier fire was still inside you, reduced to a faintly glowing pile of embers.

“You shouldn’t move.” There was something in Connor's tone that set the hairs on the back of your neck upright. “Just… stay still for a while.”

Frowning, you tried to pull your legs up so you could at least turn toward the two brothers to speak—

Panic welled inside you. Thrashing clumsily, terror gripped your throat as you writhed on the sand.

“I can’t— _I_ _can’t move my legs!”_

Nines’ hands were on your arms to hold you still, but you twisted harder, feeling a dull, strange movement in your lower body as you heard the sound of splashing seawater.

Connor was at your side in an instant, your face in his hands as he tried to get you to look up at him, but it was too late. You’d already looked down.

You shook off their hands, propping yourself up on your elbows as your heart thudded in your chest. The slapping sound of the water stopped as the panicked limb stopped thrashing.

 _“…oh,”_ was all you said as you stared at the sleek, muscled fin that used to be your legs.

You couldn’t stop staring at it. It was impossible, and yet there it was, staring you in the face. An actual, real tail. Thousands of questions _should_ have been flooding your mind. How this was possible? What exactly had they done to you? Why had no one documented this kind of transformation before?

All the questions were silenced as you reached a tentative hand forward and touched where your thighs used to be. It was warm and rubbery under your fingertips, the pattern a sort of greyscale gradient. The fin was dark along the back, grey along the sides, and a pure white on the underbelly.

You gave it an exploratory pull on a muscle you had no idea how to use, and the fin twitched in response. It definitely didn’t seem as deft and precise as a pair of legs, but you could sense the power lingering in the muscle mass.

You could have stared at it forever, but you eventually tore your eyes away to look back up at the brothers. Connor’s expression was wide and vulnerable while Nines was closed and grim.

“We… we didn’t know what else to do.” Connor’s voice was tight, as if on the verge of panic himself. “You were dying. We had no _choice_."

“There was no other way,” Nines added, softer than his brother. “Allowing you to die was… unacceptable.”

“You’re… one of us now.” Connor bit the inside of his cheek, brown eyes wide as he silently pled with you. “Please… don’t be angry. We had to-to do something.”

 _“Angry?_ Connor, you…”

You found it difficult to speak past the tightness of your throat. You forced it through, needing them to understand there was only one wrong that had taken place, and it wasn’t theirs.

“You… you _saved_ me. If anyone’s sorry, it’s me.”

You lowered your gaze to the bite mark on Nines’ arm that was still trickling blue, but the apology was meant for so much more than that.

“I... made a promise to keep you safe, and I broke it. I let you both down.”

The lump in your throat grew as your eyes burned and your vision blurred.

“I should have known… it wouldn’t be that simple to get you home. That someone was following us. I should have known Gavin—“

It wasn’t Connor who moved toward you first, but Nines; he pulled you into his arms and against his chest, holding you tightly. Connor joined him immediately after, one hand planted on your back while he pressed his cheek against your shoulder.

Your world narrowed down until there was nothing but you and the brothers. That was appropriate, because they were your world, and without them you would have lost everything that made it warm and beautiful and alive.

Connor and Nines said nothing, allowing you to fall apart within their arms, your soft sobs barely heard above the lapping water. Words were unnecessary, always had been with the two of them. You’d understood them, truly and in all the ways that mattered, before they’d ever said a word.

One of them softly stroked your hair while the other trailed his fingers along your back. You didn’t know which touch belonged to whom, and in the end, it didn’t matter. You loved them both with everything that you had left in you to give.

You clung to them both as tightly as possible, unable to truly believe they were here, _alive_ , and you were there with them. All of your knowledge and education and expertise told you it shouldn’t be _possible_.

Perhaps humans had a lot to learn about what that word actually meant.

They held you until the last of your tears dried and your hitching breaths had become smooth breathing. You didn’t want to move, wrapped in solid warmth that made you feel truly safe in such a long time, but the strange, new limb was already itching to be used. It flexed almost on its own, gently flicking at the water as if it knew exactly what it was meant for.

And you realized, for the first time in as long as you could remember, there was no pain.

Too soon, Connor and Nines pulled away, their hands never leaving your skin. Now that they were touching you, they seemed as reluctant to let go as you were.

“What do we do now?” you asked as you looked up at them, feeling for the first time that you were the one out of your element, relying on them for guidance. The future was tenuous and unknown, and you hadn’t begun to figure out what it meant yet.

Nines’ brows rose as a subtle curve touched the corners of his lips. But Connor’s smile was wide enough to show teeth, his eyes bright and full of something too indescribable for you to name.

“Now,” he said. “We swim.”

* * *

_Unable to perceive the shape of You,_

_I find You all around me._

_Your presence fills my eyes with Your love._

_It humbles my heart,_

_For You are everywhere._


End file.
